


Made of Stone

by KMO27



Series: What makes a monster and what makes a man? [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety Attacks, Bad Puns, Bigotry & Prejudice, Bitterness, Depression, Disabled Reader, Discrimination, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Gun Violence, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Sans, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Has A Name, Reader Is Not Frisk, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-04-21 09:06:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14281587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KMO27/pseuds/KMO27
Summary: Sans is fed up with the bullshit of the human world and has grown rather bitter. He doesn't even make as many bad puns. When a girl helped and befriends his brother, Sans is skeptical. He fears she is using Papyrus somehow. Sans takes it upon himself to investigate what you were playing. He finding out that monsters aren't the only ones who are outcasted...(this is San's POV of "Someday")





	1. Doubts about today and tomorrow

It wasn’t as if Sans hated humans: they’ve just not given him any reason to particularly like them. Besides the kid, humans and their government have been giving them shit since day one. All freedoms had been stripped to make it impossible for his kind to maintain in the human world. His doctorate didn’t count for squat up here so he had to work several jobs just to keep up the rent. He didn’t want to live that kind of life; not for him or his little brother, Papyrus. Therefore, when the kid finally managed to pass a policy to allow monsters to attain degrees, Sans and some others jumped at the chance. The only problem was only a few schools were allowing monsters so he had to move away from his friends to some small, crummy school in the middle of nowhere. To say he was irritated would be an understatement. The whole situation was belittling to his intelligence. He felt like a fucking teenager again. It’s not like he was a ray of sunshine, to begin with, but lately Sans just felt bitter.

 

He was especially annoyed today. A professor in the engineering department had set up a meeting about a study with him at eight o’clock in the morning.

 

_Who the fuck wants to be up this early?_

 

He took a shortcut to campus. It was gray outside, which fit his mood perfectly. There wasn’t a lot of people about so it surprised him when he was hit by a battering ram. He fell on the sidewalk with a grunt but he was fine.

 

“I’m so sorry!” cried a feminine voice, “I-”

 

Sans caught a glimpse of you. You had brown ringlets tied up on top of your head and freckled sprinkled over your nose and cheeks. You also looked like you had just gotten out of bed, still in your pajamas Your brown eyes were wide with....what? 

_Surprise? shock? fear? Could be any._

 

He was waiting for the wrinkle of the nose with disgust or your mouth to drop into a scream. It never came through.

 

You simply said “S-Sorry!” and sprinted away.

 

As you left, he felt like making a shitty pun.

 

“Have a **run** derful day”

 

You just kept on running.

 

_She must have an eight AM. Heh, don’t envy her._

 

He turned and walked to the building to greet the professor. Dr. Thomas was a stout, old man with a balding head and a bit of a stomach. He taught one of San’s courses and had been friendly enough.

 

“Ah, Sans,” Dr. Thomas greeted him, “Come in.”

 

Sans sat done in front of the professor’s desk.

 

“Now, boy,” Dr. Thomas began, “I looked over your resume and I believe you would be a great support to our team. You seem to have an advanced background in both physical and engineering; much more than any average student. However…”

 

_There it is._

 

“...the other professors on the team believe having you be on the team would be a liability towards getting additional funding,” Dr. Thomas said bitterly, “I told them it would a huge waste of an opportunity and your talent but they wouldn’t have any of it. I truly am sorry, Sans.”

 

San’s smile was strained but he had expected this. Therefore, he merely nodded in understanding and left. He took a shortcut back to his room and fell onto his bed.

 

_Dammit. I knew this would happen. Why did I get my hopes up??_

 

Sans was worried about finances for this stink hole. Sure, everyone had gotten massive amounts of scholarship money from charities. However, that will only take them so far. He was aware that the problem of loans was a stress on everyone, including human: he just didn’t want his brother to start working five jobs as well. Sans worked four during the breaks and took up a job on campus as a math tutor. He needed to find more work, but he was stretching himself thin.

 

_Colleges; they're like blood sucking leeches to my wallet._

 

He decided to put his worries of finances to the side and take a nap. He didn’t work or have classes on Fridays so he could snooze till around three when Paps got home.

  


 

 

Sans had a horrible nightmare that they were back in the Underground: that this had all been a dream. For once he was kind of happy. However, he quickly became upset. He’d never seen the beautiful morning sun or the real stars of the night sky. He’d never seen his brother be the happiest he’d ever been; that he hadn’t lost hope.

 

 

 

  
He woke up the sound of the door banging open.

 

“SANS!” Papyrus called, “I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN SLEEPING ALL DAY! GET UP. I HAVE SOME IMPORTANT NEWS.”

 

Sans slumped out of bed and dragged himself to the main room, “Sup, bro.”

 

“SAN, YOU NEED TO CLEAN UP YOU MESS,” the young brother gingerly picked up a dirty sock from the couch, “WE HAVE GUESTS COMING TONIGHT.”

 

“It’s only the usual lot. They’re used to my mess.”

 

“NO, NO. WE HAVE A NEW GUEST COMING-HEY! FEET OFF THE TABLE.”

 

Sans did as his brother requested, but then paused.

 

_Did I hear that right?_

 

“What was that, bro?

 

“I BEFRIENDED A HUMAN TODAY,” Papyrus went on the explain how a human had stopped a group of guys harassing him.

 

Sans furrowed his brow bones, “Wait, what? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

 

Anger started to boil in his nonexisting gut as his brother explained the rest of this event. It sounded like this human Paps befriend was a hot head. Maybe it had just been a heated situation, but that didn't matter. He didn’t like the idea of a human he didn't know being around his brother. Paps could so easily get hurt.

 

“Paps, are you sure about this?” Sans asked. His brother was too good for this world and humans tended to abuse his kindness.

 

“ABSOLUTELY! I HAVE ALREADY TOLD UNDYNE AND THE HUMAN. THEY REALLY WANT TO MEET THIS HUMAN. FRISK IS DRIVING ALL THIS WAY TO MEET THEM. I’M SURE WE’LL HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME.”

 

Sans wasn’t as sure and his face showed it. Papyrus lowered his voice to a gentler tone, “Look, Sans, I know you're worried about me and I know your opinions on other humans. However, I really think this one is good. This is the first human, besides Frisk, who isn’t scared or yelling at me since we got here. I want this to work.”

 

Sans frowned, but nodded, “Alright, I’ll go along with this, but only for you, bro.”

 

“EXCELLENT!” Papyrus said excitedly and tossed the sock in his hands at Sans, who caught it, “NOW, PLEASE, CLEAN UP YOUR MESS. EVERYONE WILL BE HERE IN A COUPLE OF HOURS.”

 

Sans snorted and started picking up his scattered clothes and papers at his brother's request. He didn’t like the idea of this human, but he’d behave for his brother. The kid would also want him to act his best. Who knows, they may not be that bad…

 

_Heh, yeah right._

 

 


	2. Stranger danger?

It wasn’t long before Undyne and Alphys showed up. The former captain of the royal guard was carrying board games like pizza boxes. 

“HEYA, PUNKS!” she shouted, “Where’s this new human?? I wanna get a good look at them.”

“HELLO, UNDYNE,” Papyrus was now sitting with Sans on the couch. They had been watching some old Mettaton movie. Sans dislikes the old calculator but Papyrus adored him.

“Well,” Undyne looked around the room that made up the majority of the apartment, “Where are they, Paps?”

“THERE NOT HERE YET.”

Undyne looked disappointed and Alphys just looked nervous, “A-are y-you sure th-they come?”

_ They better. It would break Paps’s heart. _

“I AM SURE OF IT,” Papyrus reassured both them and, as far as San’s knew, himself.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. It wasn’t the new human, but the kid. Everyone greeted them with exasperated hugs.

“FRISK, IT HAS BEEN FAR TO LONG!” Papyrus cried.

“Where have you been, PUNK?”

“H-have you c-caught u-up on Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?”

Frisk laughed,  **Sorry its been so long. I’ve been trying to get a policy passed so Mom can be a teacher.**

“You’ll get it done,” Sans said, “No old geezer is as determined as you kid.”

They smiled at that.

**Where’s the new human? I was so happy to hear that Papyrus was making friends, I simply had to come!**

Before anyone could answer, there was another knock on the door. It was quiet, but no one missed it. Papyrus made this way to the door and opened it.

“TINY HUMAN!!” Papyrus shouted with joy, “I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.”

“Same. Thanks for inviting me, Papyrus,” the voice sounded familiar.

“WELL, COME IN AND I’LL INTRODUCE YOU TO EVERYONE,” Papyrus lead you inside.

Sans watched the human walk in and immediately recognized you. Sure, your hair and makeup were done and you were no longer in fleece pajama pants, but it was definitely you. Apparently, you recognized him too.

“You,” you pointed at Sans, “I ran into this morning! I’m really sorry about tha-”

He couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of the whole situation. In truth, if he hadn’t appeared right there, you wouldn't have run into him. There was no time for you to register what happened, “Jeez kid, you already apologized this morning.”

You bit your lip, embarrassed, “...sorry!”

“There you go again,” he pointing at you, “no need to say sorry, bud.”

You looked like you wanted to say something but you just nodded. You looked like a kicked puppy right now; not at all what Sans had excepted. He watched as Undyne put you in a headlock from behind and your eyes widen in surprise.

“SO!,” she shouted, “You're the chick that helped Paps over here?”

You blinked, “Uh...yes…”

Undyne laughed and messed up your hair like to a kid. You visibly sighed, like you weren’t surprised.

“That’s AWESOME! I thought you’d be more snarky though by the way Paps described you, but your just a nerd!”

You looked confused.

“Whatever,” The fish monster finally let you go “Any friend of Papyrus is a friend of mine. Name’s Undyne.”

The two of them shook hands, “Nice to meet you, Undyne. I’m Maggie,” 

Sans just kept silent as you interacted with Undyne and Alphys. He was analyzing the conversation to see if you were a threat. So far you only reminded him of a mouse. Suddenly, you let out a loud gasp.

“You like anime??”

You pointed at Alphys’s Sailor Moon shirt.

_ Oh boy. You were asking for it _

Alphys gasps in surprise, “Y-you’ve s-seen...Sailor Moon?!”

Your eyes brighten and your voice sounded more confident, “Well, of course! Come on, it’s a classic. Gotta love them.”

Alphys’s nervous demeanor also evaporated. It did that when she talked about anime, “You’re right! I mean, in the underground, I only saw the older ones that were thrown away at the dump like Fruits Basket and Inuyasha but you guys have so many like…”

_ Aaand she’s gone. Sorry, kid. She’s your problem now. _

Sans was amused to see you light up at something so bizarre as anime. He was even more impressed that Alphys’s extreme otaku nature wasn’t frightening you. You were a completely different person than who you were a few minutes ago.

“What about Studio Ghibli films?” you asked once Alphys took a second to breathe.

The yellow dinosaur raised an eyebrow, “S-studio who?”

You gasped, “You...me….movie night.”

Undyne had been watching the two girls interact with amused attention as well. She snickered at you, “Alright you two, you can nerd out all you want but remember, Nerd, this cutie is mine. You got that, punk? DO YOU??”

You didn’t seem to understand that Undyne was teasing, as the sparkle in your eyes vanished as quickly as it came. You looked worried that you had truly upset Undyne.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t meet to-”

Everyone all started laughing at your misinterpretation of the events. Sans could tell everyone thought you were just adorable. Your little cheeks flushing pink didn’t help your case. Sans saw how uncomfortable you looked and spoke up.

“Come on, Undyne. Stop teasing the kid. You’re scaring her.”

The former captain rolled her eyes and huffed, “Fine,” then turned to Papyrus, “Well, are we going to start or not?”

Papyrus stood up and grabbed a game of Apples to Apples from the pile, “CERTAINLY! HUMAN, WILL YOU JOIN US?”

You looked down at your shoes and began itching the inside of your left wrist, “Maybe, I’ll wait a round.”

Your smile was fake. 

_ Had everyone's little joke made you so nervous? Was your self confidence really that fragile? Were all humans this….weak? _

Sans watched as you sat down on the couch, closing your eyes and breathing deeply. You began rocking back and forth slightly as well.

_ Is this normal? _

Sans’s list of questions about humans was growing longer by the minute. He didn’t know if you were an example of a normal human. He’d done research and had learned that the birth of humans was a lot more complex than monsters and biology played a greater role. The problem was he hadn’t met any humans who were willing to indulge in his curiosity longer than five minutes outside a professional setting.

_ Does this human have one of those biological deformities? Is this normal or not? I have no idea. _

The kid looked concern, which must have meant this wasn’t normal and tapped on your shoulder.

**Are you okay?**

You smiled reassuringly and actually signed back,  **Yeah, I just need a minute.**

Frisk didn’t seem satisfied with that but Papyrus got their attention now.

“FRISK! SANS! ARE YOU JOINING?”

Frisk nods but Sans told them to start without them. He thought this was a good chance to analyze a human in an anxious state. You were rocking back and forth again, ever so slightly. You left your eyes open but they were scanning everything like a cornered animal. You were vicious scraping up your wrist now. Sans thought he shouldn’t be selfish anymore and calm you done but to his surprise, you spoke first.

“D-don’t you want to join them?” you mumbled, so quietly.

“Nah, I’m too lazy right now,” he responded, relaxing into the coach,“What about you, pal? You alright?”

“Yes.” You said it a little too quickly. Sans knew you were fibbing

He leaned over and lowered his voice so the others wouldn’t hear, “I only ask because you’ve been scraping up your wrist since you got here,” Sans pointing at your irritated wrist. 

You flushed again and pulled down your long sleeves.

_ Okay, I’m not helping. Let me try something else. _

“Knock Knock.”

You blinked, a little taken back, “Um, who’s there?”

“Déja.”

“Déja who?”

“Knock knock.”

You did smile but didn’t laugh.

He shrugged, “Hey, not all of them can be winners. Let me try again, okay? Knock Knock.”

Your lips quirked at the corners again, “Who’s there?”

“Art”

“...Art who?”

“R2-D2 of course.”

You looked like you were trying to hold back a laugh at this point.

San sighed “You’re a tough audience ain’t ya? This one ott to do the trick: Knock Knock.”

You rolled your eyes at him and sighed, “Who’s there?”

“I am”

“I am who?”

“You don’t know who you are??”

That one got you. You let out a short laugh but covered it quickly. Like most people and monsters who are ashamed of their laugh, you actually had a beautiful laugh.

“Kid, whatever you do, never hide your laughter. It’s music for the soul.”

A smile crept up your face but you looked down at your lap, playing with your sleeves, “I know one...but it’s not very good.”

Sans gestured a bony hand towards you,“Floor is yours.”

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?

“Broken pencil..”

“Broken pencil who?”

“Nothing, it’s pointless.”

Sans barked out a laugh so loud that caused his friends to groan. He loved that joke and it annoyed the hell out of them. 

“SANS! ARE YOU CORRUPTING OUR NEW FRIEND WITH YOUR TERRIBLE JOKES???”

Sans simply shrugged, “Sorry, can’t help it, bro.”

“But it wasn’t that funny…” you mumbled, maybe just to yourself but Sans heard it.

“Are you kidding me? That joke never gets old.”

Your cheeks pinked. It was a nice shade on you.

“YO NERDS!” Undyne shouted, “We've started another game. Care to join, lazy bones??”

He turned back to you, “You’re on. What’d say, kid?”

You smiled and nodded in agreement. You had calm down enough to enjoy the rest of your night; at least that's what it seems to Sans. He was still curious about your motives, though. Did you truly just want to be friends with his friends or did you have a secret intention? Even though you hadn’t given him a reason not to, Sans didn’t trust you. 

At the end of the night, he saw you swear at yourself, problebly about the time for the bus schedule. He knew a young girl like yourself shouldn’t walk the streets alone at night.

“Hey, kid, want me to walk back with ya?” Sans ask, “It’s pretty late to walk back alone.”

“U-uh, I’ll be fine. I don’t want to be an inconvenance…” you answered not looking at him.

_ Why are you so incecure? I have too many questions about a girl I just met. Guess it’s the scientist in me. Besides, it’s not like I have ill intentions outside of curiousity. _

He waved you off and stood up. He took note that you were a hair taller than him; kind of funny considering his brother has come to nickname you ‘Tiny Human’.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Besides, I wanted to talk to you.”

Which was true. He hoped you’d answer a few of his questions indirectly. He mostly wanted to figure you out. You switched from happy and excited to distance and scare like a light switch. He wanted to know why. Most importantly, he needed to judge your personitly to see if he needed to threaten you to not harm his bro...or worse.

You looked down at your feet while you were putting on your tennis shoes and suddenly stopped. You just stared blankly from a minute.

“You okay?”

You blinked, your eyes refoccusing, “Uh, yeah. Never better.

_ Hm, now what’s that about? It could just be that you’re tired. _

“Alright then,” he put his phalanges in his jacket pockets, guestering outside, “lead the way.”

 


	3. Observation

The streets were pretty quiet considering it was a Friday night. Usually, there’d be at least one base beating from one of the frat houses. Maybe the cops already shut them down. Oh well, at least it’s not Saturday; that’s when things get crazy. 

Sans liked how spread out everything in the town was. Since he could take care of himself, he didn’t have to worry about being mugged; plus, who wants to mess with someone who looks like the grim reaper. Sans like to take walks around here at night to see the stars. He may miss some of his friends in the city, but the light pollution made it impossible to see the constellations. Here, Sans had no trouble.

Even though he’d love to look at the gorgeous night sky, he was here to test you. He studied your movements. You watched your feet while you walked and, to his surprise, your pace was quick. Whether this was your normal speed or from fight-and-flight instincts taking effect from nerves Sans didn’t know. He saw you scratching your wrist again.

_ Must be a nervous tick. _   
  
“So..you wanted to ask me something?” you drew Sans away from his observations.   
  
“Yep. Wanna thank you for helping my bro earlier. We just transferred to this school after... let's just say, people didn’t like us. Thought we’d try to get away from the city and all that. Paps has such a big heart, he’ll be friends with anyone. Sounds like some folks took advantage of his kind nature this morning.”   
  
You nodded, “I don’t know what was happening. I just stepped in because someone needed to.”   
  
“Sounded like you took it personally from the way Paps described it. It sounded like you were going to throw down with one of the guys,” he smirked. He’d been wanting to know your excuse for the amount of anger you had. What reason do you have to be angry if a monster is harassed?   
  
You blushed, not looking at him. You just about never looked at anyone in the face. Was it because they were monsters?

“I was already upset about something and I don’t like bullies so I lost my temper. That’s all. I’m not an aggressive person.”

_ Okay, that’s reasonable...but it could be a lie. _

"You don’t have to tell me that,” he chuckled, “I thought if I said ‘boo’ you’d pass out.”   
  
You laughed weakly and flushed again. It was so easy to tease you. Once again, he noted that the color looked nice on your speckled cheeks.    
  
“I know you were nervous tonight, but I would appreciate if you hung out with my bro and the rest again. We’ve had trouble making friends with the humans.”   
  
You smiled shyly, “I’d be more than happy too.Your brother seems really nice. I hope I didn’t come off as aloof to all of you,” 

You started playing with a ringlet in your hand. Sans noticed that human girls do that a lot from his lectures.   
  
“Nah don’t worry about it,” he said, gesturing at himself, “I mean we got to look strange and a bit jarring at first. I get it.”   
  
You actually frowned at that and muttered something under your breath.   
  
“What was that?”   
  
“I said that never crossed my mind,” you looked down at your hands, “I’m nowhere near popular. I’m a bit of a clust, socially awkward, and kind of a weirdo. I know what its like to feel like you don’t belong so I take friends the way they are. If they accepted me for me, then I give them the same respect back.”   
  
The skeleton furrowed his browbone in confusion.

_ She’s not scared of us? Then why doesn’t she look at me when I talk to her? You were nervous for most of the night, but you still came knowing everyone would be a monster. Is she just acting what she thinks is brave but her facade crumbled.  _

Another thought came to mind.

_ You say your an outcast, but how could understand our pain? Just because you’re weird?? Everyone’s a little weird. You’re human. You show no physical difference with your species. How could you know what it’s like to be different?? _

Sans wanted to ask a thousand questions; some out of curiosity and some out of anger. He settled for one to start with.   
  
“Then why were you so nervous?”

You started to answer, but then you suddenly took a tumble on the sidewalk. Sans was too caught up in his own head to notice at first. As you fell, your purse opened and scattered all over the sidewalk.

_ Oops...well you did say you were clumsy. At least I know that was true. _   
  
“Ow..” you groaned, rubbing your scraped elbows and knees.   
  
“Jeez, kid, I didn’t know you were falling for me.”   
  
You rolled your eyes, smiling.

_ You seemed to enjoy his stupid jokes. Heh, give her time. You’ll hate them like Paps. _

Sans bent down to help pick up the fallen articles. One thing that caught his eye was an orange prescription bottle. 

_ I shouldn’t… _

His curiosity got the better of him as he snatched the bottle up before your small hands could reach it. He knew this was an invasion of your privacy, but Sans couldn’t help himself. He read the bottle and it stated:

Buspirone: take nightly and when needed for panic episodes.

_ Ah hah! That answers a few questions. _

Sans’s knowledge of psychology of limited but he was aware of the main mental illnesses of anxiety and depression. There had been posting all over Facebook and Twitter for Mental Illness Awareness Month last year.

_ So you had an anxiety disorder? It must be severe for you to need to carry your meds around with you. _

He didn’t feel the need to say anything as he passed the bottle back. You looked distraught; like he had just unveiled a big secret. To be honest, he hadn’t been so surprised. He was madder at himself for not thinking of it as a variable sooner.

He didn’t want to stick his nonexisting nose into your medical history right now, as he saw how uncomfortable you were at his discovery. He decided to change the subject to a safer topic.

“So, what are studying?”   
  
You smiled, “Social work.”   
  
“Social work, huh? Is that with social services?” Sans asked. He knew there were a few that worked with Frisk but he had no idea what they actually did.   
  
You shrugged, trying to act chill but that sparkle was in your eyes once again, “Not always. They work from nursing homes to school to prisons to natural disasters. Some work as advocates of social justice policies. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some who supported policies for monsters nowadays.”   
  
“Know what you want to do yet?”

To his surprise, you looked into his eye lights. There were pride and determination twinkling in your brown eyes.

“I can’t decide yet. There’s so much I want to do and not enough time.”

Sans couldn’t help but chuckle, “Sorry, don’t mean to laugh at you. You’re just a very different person when you talk about things you're into like anime with Alphys.”   
  
The light vanished from your eyes and he could see your walls rising again. He raised his hands in defense, trying to motion that everything was okay, “No no no. It’s not a bad thing at all. I like the spark your eyes get.”   
  
You smiled shyly and your cheeks turned red now.

_ You don’t take compliments well, do you? _

“S-so what about you?” you spoke.   
  
“Hm?”   
  
“Your major?”   
  
Sans looked back at the constellation Sirius, “Physics.”   
  
“Holy shit, you must be smart,” you blurted out.   
  
He snorted in amusement. You reminded him a lot of the kid had been as a child, “Nah, I’m too lazy to be smart. I used to help Dr. Alphys. Besides, it’s not that hard.”   
  
You turned and poked at his ribs, “Bull. Shit. That stuff ain’t easy; drove me crazy in high school. All those extra sleepless nights and study hours and for what!? Only to get to the AP exam and know I’m going to fucking fail so I destress by accidentally drawing all over my exam instead of...the.. scrap paper…...with lil..cats..”   
  
_ Oh my god, you were just like a kid. No filter whats' so ever when you weren’t acting the part of a mouse. _

Your face beamed red. You turned away and started walking faster.

Sans couldn’t help it, “Doesn't sounds like that much of a cat astrophie. It’s not for everyone.”  
  
You visibly sighed, “I thought out loud again, didn’t I?  
  
“It’s okay, kid. It happens to the best of us.”  
  
The wind blew your dark hair into your face and you tucked the strands behind your ears. Your face looked somewhat relaxed. Sans thought it suited you more than the wide-eyed owl expression you’d been wearing all night.

“You said you used to work with ‘Dr.’ Alphys?”   
  
Sans nodded, “Believe it or not, I can be professional sometimes.”   
  
You snorted and rolled your eyes, “That’s not what I was going to ask. It sounds like both you and Alphys, or at least her, have some kind of doctorate degree. If you don’t mind me asking, why are you attending an undergrad school and all at the same little school?”   
  
“Simple,” he stated, trying to hold down the bitterness he felt for the system. It wasn’t your fault, “Any degrees or certifications for the underground aren’t recognized by the human government, so we all have to start all over again.”   
  
You whirled around and shouted, “Are you fucking kidding me?!”

You looked truly angry. Your tiny fists were balled up and your eyebrows were knitted together.

_ So you get ticked when something is unfair about monsters but you shut down when something personally wrong? What sense does that make? _   
  
“While charity and scholarship programs have been generous since monsters are considered a ‘minority’ up here, there aren’t that many schools open to us lot. This one may not have the greatest programs in the nation but there are so many that each of us could get a degree in our interest.”   
  
Your anger subsided into a bitter scowl, clearly annoyed, “That doesn’t make the situation fair.”   
  
“Life ain’t fair.”   


 

  
The two of you walked in silence the rest of the way. You lived in a dorm on the outskirts of campus.   
  
“Well, this is my stop,” you turned, looking down at your feet, “Thanks for making sure I got back safe.”   
  
“Anytime,” Sans waved goodbye, “See ya later, kid.”   
  
Sans took a shortcut back to the apartment. He saw the kid decided to crash at their place for the night. Sans went to his room, flopped on his bed, and evaluated what he had learned.

Besides your outburst on the injustice in the political system, which could be attributed towards empathy, he saw that you were harmless. You were anxious and played your cards close to the chest. Your mood switched back and forth rather dramatically, but it felt like was same way a child interacts for the first time. Based off of that and what you said, you don’t have many friends, and therefore haven’t practiced your social interaction skills. He attributed to this as odd rather than a danger. He wondered if you had more than an anxiety issue. 

Sans decided he’d look into psychology more. He felt this would be important.

_ Why do I care so much? Because she wants to be friends with my friends and I now need to find if her personality is simply quirky or an unstable danger. _

He decided he could follow up on this in the morning as he drifted to sleep.

 


	4. Just another day at work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's a short chapter. I'm trying to catch up this with "Someday".

Sans was not, and never wished to be a morning person. If he had his way, he’d sleep all through Saturday. As much as he loved his brother, Papyrus somehow had the misfortune of being one of those morning people and insisted Sans should adjust his sleeping cycles by going to bed earlier and taking few naps. Because Sans constantly ignored his advice, it led to mornings like so:

“SANS! ARE YOU STILL IT BED? IT’S WAY PAST NOON. GET UP!!!”

Sans hear his brother fine from the main room but chose to roll over and pull his comforter over his head anyways. He knew he had about five more minutes before Papyrus stormed in and ripped the warm blankets away. Just as he predicted, Paps barged in.

“SANS!!! GET UP, YOU LAZY BONES,” he tore off the comforter.

“Okay, bro,” Sans smiled weakly at his brother, “I’m up.”

He crawled out of bed and went into the bathroom. He looked and saw his dark circles under his sockets deeper than normal. How he had dark circles in the first place? Hell, if he knew, he'd fix it. He didn’t have blood vessels to dilate but they started showing up when his dad disappeared and the dreams started. They had always been about the kid and getting the surface only to wake up back Underground. Sans had theories but no evidence any of this was occurring. He felt silly but he used to record his dreams when he was the Underground. He hadn’t needed to do so in five years, but for sometimes some dreams will repeat themselves still. The most notable were waking up in his bed in Snowdin and ones about a fight in judgment hall. Whether these were true or not, Sans couldn’t know for sure. He didn’t have time to think about that as he had work soon.

Most students who he tutored were either monsters or humans who weren’t able to book time slots with anyone well. The ladder was who he was teaching today. Some of these kids didn’t have time during the week. Others didn’t want to be seen with him when the library was busy.

Either way, he didn’t want to go but he needed money. He washed up and threw on an outfit consisting of his normal attire of basketball shorts, a plain t, and his worn blue hoodie. Sans grabbed his bag filled with needed materials and took a shortcut to the library. He saw that the few people around him had issues with the cold, but he was fine. He walked through the library and nodded to an old man at the front desk. He nodded back politely. 

He had about fifteen minutes before his first student arrives so he decided to use that time in the psychology section. He remembered what he had wanted to do yesterday as his finger scrolled over the spines of the books in front of him. Most of the names were too generic or vague. Sans would rather get information efficiently than reading a bunch of stuff he was neither interested in or needed to know. Of course, he could just use the internet, but he needed a starting point from a reliable source first. He finally found a book on disorders and figured he’d use the table of contents later. His first appointment was here.

 

 

_ Well, that was shitty.  _ Sans sighed to himself.

He just had five appointments back to back. The first one went fine. Sure the kid hadn’t gone over the things from last week but he did well enough and was friendly. The second was on her phone the entire time, completely ignoring his lesson.

_ Why the fuck did she show up if she was going to waste my time?! _

The third guy had brought the wrong textbooks so everything had to be done from memory. That was a huge flop. The fourth guy never bothered to show up or notify Sans and the fifth guy was just a narcissistic asshole.  Sans was emotionally exhausted by the end of the fifth guy's session. He kept bragging how his parents were giving him a free ride to school and that he already had a position at his dad’s business lined up for him.

_ Again. Why do people love to waste my time!? _

Sans heaved a sigh and collected his books, including the one he checked out. He stepped outside; it was dark already. He checked his phone for the time. It was a little after seven. 

_ Got to love daylight savings time. _

With that, he took a shortcut back to the apartment.

 


	5. Avoidable attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: minor panic attack

Sans was glad he didn’t shortcut directly into his room but to outside the front door because you were there. He didn’t need you to freak out at his little magic trick. You and Papyrus were watching one of those Mettaton movies and the scent of dinner was in the air.

“BROTHER!”  
  
Exhausted, Sans flopped down on the couch next to you. He saw your face turn that pretty pink color. It was cool how the human blood vessels reacted when they got anxious or embarrassed.

"What’s up, bro?”  
  
“SANS, THE TINY HUMAN AND I HAVE PREPARED A WONDERFUL DINNER. NOW, THAT YOU’RE HERE, WE CAN FINALLY EAT,” Papyrus got up to set the table. That was different as they usually just used the coach. It was comfier.  
  
You leaned towards Sans, “Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”  
  
For someone who really didn’t know him well, you looked pretty concern for his well being.

_Why would she be?_

_Because she’s trying to be something called nice, you idiot. Humans CAN be nice._  
  
He stared at your face, looking for a motive to your worries but couldn’t find any. All he saw was streaks of red sauce on it which he had to admit looked a little adorable-the same way he say it on the kid ‘adorable’ when they were like ten; completely platonic

He reached out and brushed some cheese off your shoulder.  
  
“Sorry, I swiss you didn’t either but your face is covered in tomato sauce, pal.”  
  
The color on your face deepened and spread. You desperately tried to rub the stuff off your face.  
  
“That was terrible,” you glared.  
  
“What can I say? Bad puns are how eye roll,” he winked, smiling.  
  
You frowned.

“How did you do that?” you pointed at his eye socket.  
  
He couldn’t help but smirk. He had been wanting to use this excuse for the longest time. He waggled his fingers “Magic.”  
  
You sighed, “I should have known.”  
  
“BROTHER! TINY HUMAN! YOU’D BETTER HURRY BEFORE THE FOOD GETS COLD.”  
  
The three of you sat down at the small table with three plates of lasagna. There were pretty big amounts but Sans was used to this. Your eyes were comically huge in comparison.  
  
“Do you too pray before eating?” you asked.  
  
Sans shook his skull, “No, monsters aren’t really religious like you humans. Would you like to?”  
  
“We don’t need to. I try to be religious, even if the church doesn’t like me,” you muttered at the end.  
  
“WHY WOULDN’T PEOPLE LIKE YOU? YOU ARE SO NICE.”  
  
“Uh…” Your face went pale.

_Why would the church not like you?_

Sans knew the church was hypocritical from his class on human history. He knew they used to outcast people of color, abilities, and other religions frequently in the past. Just how bad were they though today?

_Was your anxiety disorder all it took or was there more to it?_

You shove a humongous amount of food, nearly choking on it, “Mmmh. Papyrus, this is great!”

You were trying to change the subject. This may be enough to confirm his theory, however, that just meant more questions to him.

You stared at him, frowning. You must had realized that Sans hadn’t been fooled by your flattery to Papyrus.  
  
“TINY HUMAN! IS EVERYTHING OKAY?”  
  
“Yep. Sorry, I just zoned out,” you continued to eat but choked when you saw Pap’s clean plate.

“Holy Shhh-”  Sans abruptly kicking you in the shin to shut you up. He had been okay with you so far but you were not to swear around Papyrus. He forgot to install that rule with you. You looked at him with an apologetic look

“SANS, HOW WAS TUTORING?”

_A waste of my fucking time!_

Sans shrugged, trying to act casual, “The usual.”  
  
You raised your eyebrows, “You tutor?”  
  
“Yeah, math and science,” he eyed you, suspicious, “Why? You need help.”  
  
You looked away and clenched your jaw.  
  
_Why the hell not? You’d be someone who’d at least look forward to seeing me when I teach. At least for a human._

He nudged you, “Come on, kiddo. Let’s hear it.  
  
“YES,” Papyrus spoke up, “MY BROTHER IS SUPER SMART. HE CAN HELP YOU.”  
  
San’s gave a true smile. It touched his soul when his brother was proud of him.  
  
“Okay. I’m failing my biology class. I’m sorry but the professor can’t teach.”

 _Let me guess..._  
  
“Dr. Hans, right?”  
  
You looked up, “Guessing I’m not alone in my judgment?”

 _Fuck no. That teacher’s an asshole._  
  
“Just because he’s got a doctorate don’t mean he’s a god of his field.”  
  
You giggled at the irony. Sans was well aware how much of a fucking peacock this professor was.  
  
“You free Thursdays?” he asked. You nodded. “Give me your number and I’ll fit you in.”  
  
“Thank you,” you gave a warm smile, “Oh! How much? I’m assuming this is your job.”  
  
Sans waved you off, “No charge for friends.”  
  
You look puzzled. He couldn’t blame you. He needed the money, but Papyrus needed a friend more. He didn’t mind your company as well. Maybe the two of you could be actual good friends.

To his surprise, you didn’t relax; you tensed up.

_Now, what is that about? Did you not want to be friends with us? No that couldn’t be true. You wouldn’t keep coming over otherwise. It’s not like we have a lot of money or valuables to steal._

A thought came to him.

 _You said you're a social outcast...does that mean you have your own trust issues? All this leads to is more questions..._  
  
Sans ruffled your hair like a kid and patted your shoulder, “You worry too much, kid.  
  
You chuckled, “That’s was my mom says.”

  
You helped Paps clean and wash the dishes. Sans overheard you talking with him  
  
“You’re a really good cook. Have you thought about culinary school?”  
  
, “WEL...UM, THERE IS NO CULINARY SCHOOL THUS FAR THAT HAS BEEN OPENED TO MONSTERS….BUT FRISK WILL BE SURE FIX THAT. THEY’RE THE AMBASSADOR AFTER ALL.  
  
“Frisk? You mean that kid from yesterday???” your eyes and mouth widen.  
  
“YES, THE HUMAN FREED US FOR THE UNDERGROUND AND NOW ARE TRYING TO GET EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL MONSTERS.”  
  
You frowned, “That’s a lot for a kid to handle. Are they going to be okay?”  
  
“Kid’s fine,” Sans as leaning against the fridge, “They’re being taken care of by the former queen. You should meet her sometime.”

Toriel would love to meet you truly. The former queen was one of the nicest monsters Sans knew.  
  
You nobbed then turned back to Paps, “But wait...if your not taking cooking classes, what are you studying, Papyrus?”  
  
He rinsed off the plates then turned proudly, “I AM LEARNING THEATER SO I CAN BE AS GOOD AS METTATON SOMEDAY!”  
  
“Mettaton? Wait, the robot from the movies?” you scratch your head.

 _Heh, glad I’m not the only one who thinks poorly of the calculator-you still better fib._  
  
“ISN’T HE AMAZING??”

You faked a smile, “Yep.”  
  
You looked outside and gasped, nearly breaking the glass in your hands, “Shoot it’s getting late.”  
  
You pulled out your phone and saw that you missed the final bus and groaned.  
  
“Like me to walk with ya again?” Sans asked.  
  
“I don’t want to be a bother..”

 _Kid, you worry about what others think too much._  
  
Sans merely patted your head to annoy you. It worked as you puffed out your chucks.

_Aww how cute._

“Fine, you can if you want,” you headed to the door. Sans followed suit.

“Take care, Papyrus,” you called out as you left.  
  
  
  
  
Sans knew the weather, particularly extreme heat and cold, didn’t bother him much. He had grown up in areas like Snowdin and worked in Hotland all his life so this stuff on the surface was nothing. However, he knew it wasn’t true for humans. As the early October wind drew right through your sweater, Sans saw you shivering. You’d be uncomfortable and freezing by the time they got to your dorm. Sans knew he could just take a shortcut, but he was selfish. He liked observing you. He still had so many questions. Maybe you could answer a few once you warmed up to each other; but in order of that to happen, you had to get warm. Therefore, Sans shrugged out of his beloved blue hoodie and handed it to you. Like he assumed, your first reaction was to refuse.

“No, no nono,” you said  a little too quickly, “You’ll catch a cold.”

 _You have to be difficult, kid._  
  
“Monsters don’t feel temperature change as drastically. Besides,” he tried for a reassuring smiled, "It doesn't matter if the wind goes through me. ”  
  
You groaned but took the jacket with a thanks.

“Come on, kiddo. Don’t want you to get blown away,” he teased. You had zoned out slightly. He noticed this was a common occurrence.

 _I need to come up with another nickname to annoy her with. It’ll get confusing if Frisk is around….maybe one about you spacing out, but for now, ‘kid’ does the trick._  
  
“I’m coming,” you ran to catch up to him, “And I’m not a kid!”

 _Heh._  
  
He rolled his eye lights, “You're a kid to me.”’

Which was true. You acting like an adorable child a lot.  
  
“But I’m almost twenty!”  
  
“Still a kid.”  
  
You huffed, “What are you then, thirty, forty-

 _This’ll take forever._  
  
“Try three hundred years.”  
  
Your eyes widen, “Uh…”  
  
Sans didn’t mean to laugh but you looked like a child whose parents told them they ate all their Halloween candy. It was hilarious.  
  
You flushed and pouted, “What now?”

 _Absolutely adorable_  
  
“Sorry, pal,” he tried talking, “The look ya had. Priceless.”  
  
You shoved him playfully. The sound of a bass started thumping through the ground.

 _Dammit, it’s frat night!_  
  
“Someone’s having a party,” Sans murmured.  
  
There were lights flashing and groups of people huddling around a couple of houses in front of you. Sans didn’t have an opinion of the music over than it was obnoxious to hear at 3 am when he was trying to sleep. He looked at you and saw you had your hands clamped over your ears and your eyes scrunched up.

 _Was this hurting you??_  
  
“You okay, buddy?” Sans asked.  
  
You nodded but didn’t say anything.  
  
As you passed the house, some boys were catcalling you. This actually annoyed Sans. He saw you as an innocent little kid, like Papyrus; so too hear those assholes asking you for a good time disturbed him. One kid chased after you.  
  
“Hey, you!”  
  
“So how was ish???” he slurred in his drunken state.  
  
You ignored him and walked faster. Sans assumed that the drunk was being stupid, but apparently, something else was going on.  
  
“Hey, I’m talking to you, whore?” the blonde kid spat, trying to reach for you at this point.

_Like hell, I’ll allow that._

Sans stepped between you and the punk, his eye lights blazing.  
  
“Oh! Shho ya found another for your necrophilia fetishh! Guys, check out thish shlut!” Some of his friends had gathered around. They smelled like weed and booze. Their laughs were an ugly sound.

_What the fuck is this dick’s problem?? Necrophilia fetish?? Again??? So this punk has been harassing you about hanging out with monsters? Why hadn’t you mentioned it?_

 

It all happened so fast….

 

One of the kids snatched you by your curls and dragged you to your knees. You kicked and yelled...but your yells started to go silent. You crumpled to the ground. Your hands were flapping by your head. You were hyperventilating, body shaking.

 

You were so overwhelmed.

 

You broke.

 

Sans just stared for a second. Something was boiling inside him. You had made him forget, if only temporarily why he distrusted humans…

 

...no this isn’t distrust.

 

This is hatred.

 

Hatred is whats festering.

 

Humans like these were nothing more than p a r a s i t e s .

  
“Aww, the poor bitch missed sucking on a human cock. Why not give it to her?”

And with that line, the venom he felt snapped. Sans stepped in front of you, protectively. He growled two simple words.  
  
“P I S S  O F F.”  
  
All but the blonde stepped away.  
  
“Get lossh, freak! Sshome of ush want a turn.”  
  
Without a warning, Sans gripped onto to the kid's forearm and elbow and snapped them like a wishbone. He let out a blood curdling screams, falling to his own knees. Sans took another step forward but the punk got the message and fleed.

_Frisk is going to be pissed but..._

He turned but your eyes were wide with terror. You lip trembled and you were clutching your own throat at this point trying to breathe. Your whole body was twitching.

_The nervous system must be going haywire…is this a panic attack???_

He tried to step towards you to help, but your panic increases with your breathing being more uneven. He tried to ignore the pang he felt in his soul at the look you were giving him.

You looked so scared.

 

 

You looked betrayed.

 

 

Guilt swarmed into his chest. If he hadn’t been selfish this wouldn’t have happened. If he’d only had given you a shortcut…

_This is no time for self pity._

He needed to calm you down before you blacked out. Your vision was already out of focus.  
  
“Hey, hey, it’s just me,” he tried to make his voice as soothing as possible, “I need to get you off the sidewalk. Can I touch you?”  
  
You didn’t answer. In truth, you couldn’t by the way you were breathing. He slowing knelt down, like approaching a wounded animal, “I’m not going to hurt you.”  
  
He carefully picked you up bridal style.

Sans could feel you spaz out like a critter in a trap. He began cooing you and rubbing circles on your back like he’d done for frisk when they had nightmares as a kid. You were still tense but you grabbed on to his t shirt like a baby to it's mother. You wailed as he carried you away from those houses and out of earshot.

He needed you to breathe properly or you’d pass out.

“Breath,” Sans whispered to you, “One, two, three. One, two three,” he kept repeating this until you met his pace.

 

He found a bench by a bus stop and laid you down. He knew you needed to collect yourself on your own and not in the arms of an acquaintance. After another five minutes, you sat up.

“Thanks...for getting me out of there.”

You sounded so defeated.

He knew he couldn’t allow himself to react to what happened right now. A parent should never cry in front of their kid.  
  
"You knew that guy?”  
  
You shook your head, “Barely. I called him out for beating on Papyrus and he got pissed. Tried to get under my skin...I shouldn’t have let him.”  
  
“It’s not your fault. Once things like that get physical, ya can throughout being polite.”

 

 

The two of you walk in silence for the rest of the way. He figured you were embarrassed. You face was flushed and you watched your feet while you walked. Before you ran into your dorm to hide, Sans stopped you.  
  
“You going to be alright? That was kind of intense early.”  
  
You gave him a weary smile, “Yeah, just tired.”  
  
He waved to you goodnight and took a shortcut back to his room.

He didn’t know how to react.

 

_That was..._

 

_was……_

 

_was…_

 

Sans pinched the bridge of his nasal canal, “What the fuck just happened?”

It took him a few minutes to collect his thoughts.

 

_So...that was a fucking panic attack. Wow...that was…_

 

Only one word fits the bill:

 

 

 

_Disturbing._

 

Sans realized that if you needed to carry around medication, this must happen often.

_How can you go throughout the rest of your fuckin’ day after that?! Most people only get one in their lives but this chick has the luck of having them some much she need med- wait a minute??? WHY DIDN’T I HELP HER TAKE HER MEDICATION?????_

Sans facepalmed himself. He was an idiot. She couldn’t move so she had an excuse but not him.

Sans let out a heavy sigh and fell on his bed

“What am I going to do?”

He thought panic attacks were the same as crying when you were upset, but that's not what he just saw. He wanted answers tonight but he just got more questions.

_Why does she have to go through is?_

_Is there a way to stop them?_

 

_Could that kill you???_

 

Sans groaned.

He really needed to read that goddamn book.

 


	6. Just a little research

Sans couldn’t sleep.

His mind had been racing all night. He tried to distract himself by working on his homework for the week. Looking at something as logical as calculus and quantum mechanics always helped him think clearly. 

It didn’t do shit.

He went through all his homework, trying to keep his mental metronome monotone. However, it was swinging all over the place. 

He pushed away his textbooks and opened the book from the library. It was small, now that he was looking at it. Still, he figured it was a start. He looked at the table of context and found a paper on anxiety and depression. He skipped the bit about depression

_ I already know too much about that. _

He scrolled down the page till it got to anxiety.

 

**_It is normal for an individual to feel some anxiety, such as when a deadline or paper is due. An anxiety disorder takes place when normal anxiety shouldn’t be there. There are multiple different types of anxiety disorder._ **

**_General anxiety disorder is displayed by excessive anxiety or worry for months and face several anxiety-related symptoms. Such symptoms are restlessness, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, difficulty controlling worry, and sleep problems._ **

_ That could be it...but it sounds too vague. He skipped over a bit. _

**_Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over…_ **

_ That doesn’t sound like you… _

**_People with social anxiety disorder have a marked fear of social or performance situations in which they expect to feel embarrassed, judged, rejected, or fearful of offending others…_ **

_ That’s closer to the mark… _

He turned the page and read what he was looking for.

**_People with panic disorder have recurrent unexpected panic attacks, which are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate; sweating; trembling or shaking; sensations of shortness of breath, smothering, or choking; and feeling of impending doom...._ **

_ This also could be it. _

_ Wait. _

_ What am I talking about? I barely know you and after two days, I’m trying to play psychiatrist?? I have a problem.  _

_ No, I need more data through observation. _

Part of him was also thinking:

_ You could just try to be friends instead of treating her like a scientific anomaly! _

He sighed, rubbing his skull, and reread the page. He saw something else.

**_An anxiety disorder may be a branch of a larger disorder such as A-_ **

The rest of the page had been blurred by someone spilling cranberry juice on it.

“Who the fuck drinks cranberry juice anymore???” Sans groaned.

_ That just made my pool much bigger. _

It was almost 5am and Sans was too tired to think. He concluded that he’d put a pin in his research till later.

  
  


Sunday was the one day Papyrus let him sleep in. Today, Sans was grateful for that. He slept most of the day away except when Undyne spammed his phone with a group chat she added you too. Sans commented to be polite but fell right back to sleep. He knew Papyrus would want to hang out later, but he was just so tired.

_ I’ll be proactive later. _

 


	7. And hilarity ensues

Sans felt he needed to approach his research from a different angle; a more casual one. He tried to not observe your behavior and speech as much and focus on the big picture. Over the next two weeks, he found himself content with your company. Well, content was too cold a word, it was more pleasant.

Sans didn’t feel he needed to be skeptical about your want to hang out with monsters. Any time, the two of you hung out and someone spat at him, you would start swearing the person out. You got angry very easily if someone was acting unjustly. Sans expected you to shut down when the name calling like “Monster fucker” was being thrown at you. Instead, you brushed them aside. He had to admit, while you were no fighter, you did have some guts.

In a more chill atmosphere, you were a big child. You loved playing games with Papyrus and crying at Disney and Dog movies with Alphys. It was kind of funny to watch you try to keep up with Undyne’s training. You had a waddle walk going on right now because of it. With him...in truth, you were on edge the first few days but then you warmed up. Sans found your relationship kinda comical; you were always trying to prove you weren’t a kid to him which led to ensuing hilarity which led to you having a little fit. He felt like a big brother teasing his baby sister who insisted on wearing mommy’s shoes and makeup smeared on like a clown. A perfect example of this was what happened last Friday:

 

Sans had just finished up tutoring a statistics lesson to a young rabbit monster when he bumped into you as he exited the library.   
  
“Hey!”   
  
Sans turned around to see you in your usual jeans and a baggy sweater,“Hey. What’s up?”   
  
“Not much. Just studying; was about to leave. Guessing you just got done with a sess-I meaning a tutoring session.”   
  
_ Now, what is that about- NO. no. None of your business, Sans. _ _   
_   
“Yeah, I’m done for today,” he put his hands in his hoodie's pockets, “Wanna grab a bite?”   
  
You winced, “Dining hall?”   
  
“Nah, it’s Friday. You’ve gotta treat yourself sometimes.”

You sighed in relief, “Oh good! I’ll take any chance to get food outside of campus.”   
  
Sans knew how much you detested the school’s cafeteria. He didn’t care for it either but not at the extent of hatred as you. You could be a bit of a drama queen. San’s wasn’t in the mood for mystery meat and was feeling a bit homesick. He was craving one of Grillby’s burgers right about now.

You had been falling him as Sans walked aimlessly.

_ Can’t hurt to try. Hopefully, she won’t throw up. _

He stopped at the edge of the main road, “I don’t feel like walking.”   
  
“You want to take the bus?” you asked.   
  
“Nope.   
  
You paused, “Well...sorry but that’s the two choices. I’m not paying for a cab. I’m not made of money.”

_ Please don’t freak out. _   
  
The short skeleton turned back to you and held a hand out, “Do you trust me?”   
  
You stared at him like he had killed a puppy. You looked dumbstruck. 

_ Did you? _

You looked like you were choosing your words carefully.

“More than most.”

_ Guess I’m not the only one with an issue with trust... _

You clasp his hand. He pulled in into him and you stiffened, “Uh…”   
  
He shushed you, whispering, “Close your eyes and hold your breath.”   
  
_ Otherwise, you’ll get sucked into the eternal darkness of the void... _   
  
You did as commanded as Sans willed his magic to take him where he wanted to go. He had long since adjusted to the cold of the abyss and the sudden drop, but he knew you wouldn’t be. Therefore, he was aware of the need to catch you as you fell through the other side.   
  
“What the hell, man?” you slurred, still dazed and confused.   
  
“Sorry,” he whispered, “Shortcut.”   
  
You glared at him and rolled your eyes.   
  
“Here we are.”   
  
When you realized you two weren’t at the university anymore, your eyes stretched wide.   
  
“Y-you mean to tell me you can teleport?” you stuttered in disbelief.   
  
“Yep.”

Sans gave you a moment to let it sink in. He could see the gears turning in our head. Your face went through a lot of emotions at once. He decided to cut your train of thought short at the five minute mark. He waved a bony hand in front of your eyes.   
  
“Attention, space cadet. Please come back to earth.”   
  
You blinked then blushed, “Sorry, I sort of spaced out-wait no!” You raised your hands in defense but Sans was already laughing. Your unintentional pun was spectacular.

“Hey there, kiddo, I know you didn’t planet so no pressure to continue,” he grinned.   
  
You stomped your foot like a child and turned on your heel. Your little tissy fits were adorable. He couldn’t take them seriously.   
  
“Ah come on,” he continued to laugh, “This place has a great atmosphere.”   
  
You stopped, glaring at him, “Fine.”   
  
  


  
Grillby’s pub was very similar to the one in the Underground, if a little smaller. It was the best joint on the monster side of the neighborhood. The place always reminded Sans of a wolf returning to its favorite den. It was familiar and homie. The usual crowd was there and gave Sans nodded and waves of acknowledgment. Their attention was more on you. Humans rarely wandered into the pub. Lesser Dog came up to sniff you and you let out a squeal.   
  
“Doggy!” you cried and starting petting the top of his head.   
  
Like Sans expected, his neck elongated and hit the ceiling. He wondered how Grillby was able to afford the repairs each time that happened.   
  
“Oh My God! What have I done!?” you wailed in shock, hands covering your mouth. You looked around the room startled to see everyone was laughing. Sans joined in; your reaction was priceless.

  
“Maggie, you’re a riot today,” Sans chuckled, shaking his head at the Dog Monster in front of him, “Lesser Dog, you need to calm back down.”   
  


He used that one a lot and the monsters around him were sick of it. They groaned in pain at the pun. Sans turned back to you, “Relax, kid. Lesser dog’s neck stretches when he gets too excited. He sure loves new people.”   
  
You let out a sigh of relief, clutching at your chest. Your face was pale and you looked so confused. Sans took his usual seat at the bar and saw you were still standing at the entrance, dazed.   
  
“Yo, space cadet, over here.”

_ Not a bad nickname for you. I think I’ll keep using it. _

You snapped to attention and came out to sit in the seat he was patting next to him. Grillby nodded as a greeting. He never really said much, even to Sans. Still, he considered him a friends, or at least his bar therapist.   
  
“Maggie, this is Grillby, the owner. He’s a man of few words. Grilbz, this is Maggie.”

“Hi,” you stretched out your hand, gingerly. Grillby took it in a firm handshake.   
  
“Grilbz, I’ll have the usual,” Sans turned to you, “What’d you like?”   
  
“Um...whatever's best. You pick,” you replied.   
  
He nodded, “Also the same for the lady. Put it on my tab.”   
  
“Oh, no you don’t,” you whipped out a card, “I’ll pay.”   
  
He raised his brow bone, “No need to do that.”

“Think of it as payment for the tutoring,” you looked at him, “Please, you never let me pay you.”   


_ You don’t seem to have a money issue...or are you just trying to be nice? Aren’t human males supposed to pay for females meals or is that just a dating requirement? _   


He sighed and shrugged, “How can I say no when you ask so nicely.”   
  
You have Grillby the card and he scanned it. Out of nowhere, you swerved around and slammed your hand down on the table.   
  
“You made me walk all that way back for nothing, you asshole!” 

Sans was truly startled at your sudden burst of anger.

_ Okay, that’s new. What the fuck is she talking about?? _   


“uh...Sorry?”   
  
“You’ve been walking me back to the dorm every night I go to your apartment when you could have easily teleported me? My legs hate you!”

_ OH! That... _   
  
He snorted, trying to joke his way out of the topic, “Give them thirty years, you’ll thank me then.”   
  
“But why?”

_ Shit. _

He couldn’t tell you that he had made you part of a scientific study. It would sound too clinical, not to mention creepy.   
  
“Because” he stated simply.   
  
“Because is not an answer,” you frowned.   
  
He sighed and leaned against his palm, elbow on the table. He could give you a partial truth, “At first it was to figure you out. I knew you weren’t just a ball of nerves like you were at game night or you wouldn’t have stood up for my brother. I figured one on one was best. To be honest, I was kind of testing you to see if you were safe to be around my bro. No hard feelings or anything, I’m just looking out for him.”   
  
You smiled, “Yeah...I’d do the same for my sister.”’   
  
He raised his eyebrows. After two weeks of nothing tangible, you just dropped information he could work with. Plus, he was glad for the change of topic.   
  
“Older or younger?”   
  
“Younger. She’s only sixteen.”   
  
His body shifted position, leaning toward you. He wanted to know if there were more people like you, “She anything like you?   
  
You laughed, tucking a curl behind your ear, “We are as similar as night and day. Lizzy loves sports and is a bit of a party girl. She’s more popular than I ever was, especially with the boys. I always had to fight to keep them off her. She can also cook a three course meal while I can burn a boiled egg, believe it or not. We don’t even look the same.”   
  
“Believe me I know how that feels,” his smile was genuine. He knew how different Paps and he looked and acted compared to each other, “How did she react to her big sister being with a bunch of monsters.”   
  
“She thinks it’s cool, or ‘lit’ or whatever the kids are saying now. Ugh, I feel old. Honestly, she was very curious, but she’s just glad I’m making friends.”

_ So there are others like you.  _

Often times, you made Sans forget how cruel most of humanity was to his kind and gave him a glimmer of hope that there were more people as kind and nonjudgmental as you.

“So she is like you.”   
  
You look down at your hands, “Nah, She’s too cool, like you brother. He reminds me of her a bit. Incredibly kind and awesome, but with less swearing and vulgar humor from his part.”

He smiled at your humbleness and chuckled, “Yeah he is, but that’s not what I mean,” he lifted your chin so you were staring into his eye lights. He wanted you to know he was being sincere, “If you think that highly of her, I have no doubt she’s as sweet as you. You’ve stood up and taken hits for monsters, so don’t sell yourself short, kid.”   
  
You felt your cheeks pink like a rose under his stare, but you didn’t look away, “You all are my friends. Of course, I’d do those things.”   
  
“Believe me: most won’t for us.”

_ Most would just watch as bystanders. _   
  
You furrowed your brows, “I don’t care about us or them. Your my friend first before anything else.”   
  
He studied you for a minute. He wished he could remain skeptical of your words, but your actions had shown just that. You have been harassed multiple times, but have not once complained about it. He let go of your chin.   
  
“I’m guessing you still don’t trust me with your brother,” You mumbled, looking down into your lap once more.   
  
Sans frowned, hoping the conversation wasn’t being brought up again,“What makes you say that?”   
  
“You still walk me-”   
  
“I said I did that at first,” he interrupted you. He wanted to make it clear that he trusted you enough to be around his friends. Relief washed over your face and then confusion. 

You paused before asking, “So, why don’t you just teleport us get to the dorm? I mean it’s a really long walk for both of us.”   
  
He shrugged, trying to act casual, “Got my reasons,”

_ None you need to know. _

That was true to him. You didn’t need to know that for the longest time, he saw you at as nothing more than a scientific experiment; an observation of an anomaly. Over time it may be developed a second purpose of enjoying companionship, but his main purpose never disappeared. He had a feeling you wouldn’t take kindly at knowing you had been toyed with.

You groaned, leaning back in your chair. A minute later, Grillby came back like two plates for burgers and piles of fries. The familiar smell wafted towards the both of you, which made Sans’s grin widen. He watched you as you took your first bite.

“I died,” you stated, “and gone to heaven.”   
  
You were wolfing the burger down, with no care to your appearance.   
  
Sans looked amused, “Easy, tiger. It ain’t going anywhere.”   
  
You ignored him. He took his ketchup bottle and took a swig as he watched you eat.   
  
“Ew, Nooo. That’s nasty. Other people wanted to use that, dude,” you wrinkled your nose.   
  
He should have expected that “Grillbz keeps a stock just for me. So no harm.”   
  
You looked at him like he had three heads, “You do you, I guess.”   
  
And he did as he took another sip, “Wanna beer or something.”   
  
“No, I’m underage.”   
  
“We’re in the monster district. As long as your not wearing a striped shirt like the kids today then your fine.”   
  
You stared at him, “I don’t want to get in trouble when we get back to campus. I’m a lightweight.”   
  
He snorted, “Goody two shoes.”   
  
You flushed but thrust your chin out, “Yeah and what of it?”

Before he could retort, the mic squeaked from the back of the room.

_ Oh shit it’s karaoke night, isn’t it? _

Jerry got up and sang first.

_ Of fuck course. _

Jerry was the worst singer imaginable. Sans couldn’t sing either but at least he knew it. Sans did have a taste in music too, unlike Jerry. Today, it sounded like something those human weedheads listen to. It was so flat that you could sweep over his voice. You were not a fan either as your hands were over your ears and you looked like you wanted to vomit up the burger.   
  
Sans winced, “Yeah, sorry. Jerry loves karaoke night.”   
  
“Please say he’s drunk.”   


_ I wish. _

Sans shook his skull, “Nope, that’s how he always sounds.”   
  
You glared at him with your hands still over your ears. Jerry sang for five minutes and that was too long for Sans. No one clapped as he stopped. A bunny monster Sans new went up next and sang a nice blues piece. Sans saw you humming along and tapping your foot. He wondered if you could sing.

“If you wanna sing, just go up there.”   
  
You shook your head before the words finished leaving his mouth, “No.no.nononono-”   
  
“Stage fright?”   
  
You nodded.

_ Not surprised. A little bit of a pity. I kind of wanted to find out. _

“Alright, I won’t push.”   
  
You sighed in relief, then winced. Sans watched you itch your wrist. You didn’t say anything for a minute. He hadn't meant to make you feel bad.

"Thanks...maybe next time,” you finally said, “Do you ever sing?” 

“Nah, I’m more of an observer. I love coming on Saturdays because of the small jazz band. Wish I could play like that, but I’m too lazy to learn. You play any instruments?”   
  
“Other than the harmonica in third grade, I never learned. My roommate has tried to teach to the piano but said I sound like music from a cheesy horror movie-” you smiled lazily for a minute, then chirped out, “-but that’s okay! It’s not for….what was I talking about?”   
  
Sans couldn’t help but laugh when you were having one of your moments. Your react was so endearing,“It’s okay, space cadet. You stuck your landing.”   
  
You puffed out your cheeks which just made him laugh louder.   
  
“Sorry, I just can’t take you seriously when you look like that, kid.”   
  
“I’m not a kid,” you kicked your legs and whined. 

_ Oh God. _   
  
“Are you sure?” he smirked, “You’re sure acting like one. All that’s missing is a striped shirt and little pigtails. Should I get you a sippy cup and cut up your food, kiddo?”   
  
Your face boiled red like a tomato and you turned away from him to Grillby, “Give me a shot.”   
  
Sans had an idea where this was going. You were trying to prove you were grown up, but you’ll fail miserably which will give something for Sans to tease you about for the next few days. 

“What happened to ‘I’m underage’?”   
  
Grillby poured you the glass of liquor and you thrust out your chin in defiance at his banter, “Fuck off.”   
  
You took the small glass and gulped it down. Your face contorted as Sans expected which made him laugh again.Your cheeks brightened as you downed the second glass. You were trying to look mad, but you were slipping. Sans could see it and smirk at you. Your act to impress him only made him think of you as more of a child.   
  
“Shut uup,” you whined, “Why you you sooo mean ta me?”   
  
He didn’t say anything, just leaned on his elbow, looking at you with a shit eating smirk. 

_ God, this is going to be hilarious once it's in her system. _   
  
“I’m nodda kid. I’ma grown ass womann,” you glared at him.   
  
“Uh huh,” he still smiled.   
  
You pouted, “You're like my motherrr...but not …”   
  
You looked at his bony hands and held it. He stiffed in surprise. You had never voluntarily touched him before.

“You twooo annoyee mee soooooo much sometimes...but ya both have the same hands,” you looked up at him and lowered your voice suddenly, “Do you lie about bein' happy tooo?”   
  
His smile stiffened.

_ What the fu-. That must be rhetorical. Yeah, that's right. She couldn’t see through me that easily...could she? _   
  
“She does. Allll the time. Til one day. Sshe gave up. Now she’s just grumpy grumpy grumpy,” you mumbled.   
  
Sans eye light dwindled slightly. He felt bad that it took alcohol for you to open up like this. 

_ I don’t know if I should be hearing this. You sound like this is a heavy top- _

You burst into a giggle fit, all of the sudden, “Why sooo serious?”

_ Wait a minute, how could the alcohol already be in her system….fuck. _   
  
He turned to Grillby, “You gave her monster whiskey instead of the human whiskey.”   
  
Grillby shrugged, “Human alcohol. Human Law. She’s underage.”   
  
Sans gridded his teeth, “But monster alcohol is stronger.”   
  
“Blame bureaucrats. Not me.”

_Dammit._   
  
Sans frown but smiles at you again as you made a smiley face frown your remain fries. He couldn’t stay mad at either one of you. It wasn’t Grillby’s fault, but a warning would’ve been nice. He decided to take you back before you passed out.   
  
“Put the drinks on my tab,” then he turned to you “Let’s get you home,” he said, standing up.   
  
“I don’t wannnnnaaa,” you whined.   
  
He stretched out his hand for you to take once you were done throwing a tantrum. He was used to them from helping to raise Frisk during their preteen years. He was basically their uncle.   
  
“Fiiiinnnne,” you finally took it and fell over when you stood up. Sans held you up till you could gain your balance. He pulled you in and you closed your eyes and held your breath. He then took a shortcut to your dorm. 

  
“You okay?” he asked.   
  
“Everythinng is spinning...weeee.”   
  
Sans could only snort as a response and took you inside the dorm building. The desk aid gave him and you nasty looks as you signed in. You didn’t seem to care.   
  
“What’s your room number?”   
  
“Uhh..216,” you replied after a second   
  
Sans nodded and held you upright so you wouldn’t fall again. When you got to your room, Sans knocked on the door. A woman with a darker complexion than your own opened the door. She frowned at first and then she saw you.   
  
“What the hell happened?”   
  
“She drank a little too much,” Sans said handing you to Mia.   
  
“Miiiiaaaaa! You look sooo pretty. Doesn’t she, Sans??” you smiled, “Shhh, she’s got a boyfriend. He’d be jellly!”   
  
Mia sighed, but gave him a look of gratitude, “Maggie doesn’t usually drink. She’s a total lightweight. Well, thanks for bringing her back-”   
  
It was like it just registered that he was a skeleton. Sans tensed waited for her to react; but just like you, it never came. She merely stated, “Your one of her new friends she met, aren’t you?”   
  
“Names Sans,” he nodded, hands shoved in his pockets.   
  
“Mia,” your roommate replied, “I’m sorry, but I’d better take care of her,” you were hugging Mia in your sleepy state.   
  
Sans nodded, “No problem. Later.”   
  
He turned and left, feeling a little more optimistic than before.

 


	8. Playful Banter

Sans hated himself when his alarm went off at 7:30. He’d been doing this for weeks now so he should have been used to this, but he wasn’t. He doubted he ever would.

_ Why the fuck do I get up this early?? _

_ Because you like to walk Maggie to class. _

_ Yeah but why??? _

_ Because you’re so god damn overprotective of her since that incident? You think of her as your little sister? _

_ But I don’t even walk up early for Paps. What makes her so special?? _

_ Maybe you like- _

“Aaand I’m up,” he shut off the engine to that train of thought. It was true that he saw you as more than a science experiment at this point but it didn’t feel the same way he felt for his other female friends like Undyne or Alphys. He didn’t allow himself to even consider it attraction as you were too damn innocent in his eyes. Therefore he continually thought of you as a little sister as a means to make sure he wouldn’t ever feel anything else. It wasn’t hard to imagine you as his little sister at all; you constantly followed him around like a tiny duckling. It was freaky cute...in a completely platonic way, of course.

Sans rolled out of bed after that mental conversation. He threw on a pair of his usual attire along with his hoodie. He opened his door to find the main room empty. Papyrus had an 8 am as well and had already left. Sans grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and wolfed it down before shortcutting in front of your room. He found it easier than dealing with the desk aid. He knocked on the door and a second later you answered it. You were in an oversized sweater with an owl holding a lollipop on in and your curls were pulled into cute little pigtails.

  
“Hey!” you smiled and welcomed him in, “I just need to get my shoes.”   
  
He nodded and stepped in. You looked like you were trying to put on your shoe while standing up. Sans saw you titling and caught you before you fell to the ground. He helped you back up.   
  
“Not again,” you faced palmed yourself.

_ Bit of a cluster today, ain't ‘cha? _   
  
“I was going to ask you _owl_ you doin’, but I’m guessing I know the answer,” he poked at your sweater.   
  
You groaned, “Yeah, it's just been one of those days.”   
  
You slipped on your other shoe, sitting down this time. While you did Sans studied your room. Even if you weren’t merely a study to him anymore, that’s just how he saw the world. Your room was a little messy. Your desk and wall were covered and tacted with papers and books. Your bed had a worn flowery comforter that was balled up into a corner. Above which, he saw several photos. Some were more recent and some were older. There were multiple pictures of cute puppies and kittens mixed it; whether they were yours or just from online, he couldn’t tell which. In multiple of the photos were other people he didn’t recognize but from deduction, he figure one girl who showed up a lot was your sister as she was in the ones with you as a child. The photo he was looking at in particular looked recent. You looked dressed up, with your makeup done and you had a great big smile on your face. The girl next to you was giving you a bear hug. She was a lot taller and slimmer. Her hair was straight and her skin was darker. She had the same big dark eyes as you though and she had the same dimples in her cheeks when she smiled...   
  
“Is this Lizzy?” he pointed at the photo.   
  
You looked, “Yeah, she was helping me get ready for my junior prom. I’m crap at makeup and hair.”

The two of you looked so happy together. It’s not as if you moped all the time but he had never seen you truly smile like that. He wished he could see you smile like that more. It was so warm and inviting. He didn’t realize he had been staring until you cleared your throat. 

“We better go.”    
  
He blinked and looked back.Your hands were on your hips and your lip was curling into a smile.

_ Bet she finds my own lack of concentration amusing after all my teasing. _

“Alright. C’mon, space cadet.”   
  
You groaned and locked the room behind you. Cool wind whistled through your coat as the two of you walk. It was only ten minutes to the building, but Sans enjoyed and looked forward to this singular time together every day. You both made your usual small talk across campus, the conversation wasn’t as important as the time spent. One of the people who walked by was a tall man with a satchel gave you a dirty look. Sans recognized him as Dr. Hans. The hate in his eyes was vicious, more than a bigot stranger. Dr. Hans quickened his pace away from you two.

“Well, ain’t he a charmer,” Sans noted.   
  
You stuck your tongue out at the back of the fleeing professor.

_ Freakin adorable. _

“Asshole. What’s his deal? Usually, he just ignores me when we see each other on campus, but that was just rude.”   
  
Sans just shrugged, “Just add it to the _tongue_ of problems I’ve heard about him.”   
  
You smiled at the pun. His were growing on you, “It’s okay. It’s just the sooner this semester is over, the sooner I can write that nasty review for that piece of work.”   
  
You rubbed your hands greedily and mimicked an evil laugh. Sans rolled his eyelights but his smile widened.

_ Were you really trying to be intimidating??? _   
  
“What?” you huffed, “I can be scary too if I want.”   
  
“To what? A gerbil?”   
  
You puffed out your cheeks and walked faster; so did Sans. He enjoyed these little games.   
  
“Ah come on, kiddo!” he teased.   
  
“I’m not a kid,” you glared at him.

_ Aw, you were trying to be mad at him. _   
  
“But your stomping off with your cheeks all poofed out and red,” he pinched one and you swatted at his hand, “Awww, are you gonna had a temper tantrum?”   
  
“AAAND I take my leave,” you answered as you reached the building.   
  
“See ya later, alligator.”   
  
You rolled your eyes and walked into the lecture hall. The smile on his smug face stayed on for a while before he went to his job. He took a shortcut to the library where his first appointment took place.

 

_ And let real life begin. _

 

 


	9. Just a simple night

Sans had not heard of this family weekend before you told everyone. Apparently, it’s an event where family comes to visit their first year child. I seemed like your family was not interested in coming, so Papyrus came up with the idea of a sleepover as a way to participate for the occasion.

“A sleepover?”

“YES, THAT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL IDEA!” Papyrus suggested cheerfully.

“Y-yeah, we c-can p-play g-games a-and f-finish up Soul Eater w-we were w-watching last week,” Alped cheered, clapping her hands.

You frowned, confused, “Don’t you want to see your families?”

“We ain’t got any, Punk,” Undyne folded her arms and looked cross.

_Poor Maggie, she doesn’t want to pull the pin on that grenade_

You looked as though you understood that fact, but Undyne was already going and there was no stopping her.

“A big portion of the old generations of monsters were killed off by humans during the great war.”

You bowed your head in shame that wasn’t yours. You weren’t even a thought a thousand years ago and you played nothing but a positive role for his kind today; and yet, you were ashamed.

_Poor girl._

You looked up at them suddenly, “Wait, how old are you all?

Sansa was surprised that why your first question. Undyne shrugged and stretched her arms, “Gave up counting a long time ago.”

“But Sans said he was about three hundred…”

“T-the s-skeleton br-rothers are youn-ger th-an Undyne and I,” Alphys blushed, playing with

her hands.

You turned to Sans and Papyrus, “You two have family still?”

Pin. Grenade. Click.

A hoard of memories of San’s dreadful excuse of a father came flooding back. He may have been a brilliant scientist but as a father...he was what humans meant by the term ‘monster’. Sans didn’t want to travel down that rabbit hole of memories. He imagined himself shutting those doors.

He could tell his brother remembered some of what happened.Papyrus looked uncomfortable. That made Sans angry, “None that we consider so.”

Your eyes widen. His anger must have shown on his face. You brought your knees up to your chin, “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

Undyne threw her arm around you, “AH DON’T BE, PUNK! That just means we can spend the weekend together tomorrow!”

You smiled and returned the hung to the fish monster. At least your shame didn’t last long. It made his anger disapparating.

 

The following day, Undyne and Alphys came over early. They told Papyrus and Sans that they had invited Frisk and that they were on their way. They hadn’t been back since game night. Sans greeted Frisk at the door.

“What’s up, kid? It’s been a while.”

The kid threw themselves around him in a bear hug. Sans saw that they looked very tired.

“HUMAN. IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN,” Papyrus joined in the hug, picking both Frisk and Sans up.

“HEY! Don’t hog the punk all to yourself, Paps!” yelled Undyne, but she was smiling.

Paps let Frisk go only for them to be tackled by Undyne.

“Ah, I’ve missed ya, punk.”

**I’ve missed all of you dearly. I’m afraid my duties have kept me away for some time.**

“Is everything alright?”

They sighed, frowning, **Not at the moment. The policy to allow monsters to work in public schooling isn’t going well; not to mention trying to desegregate schools from k to 12.**

Sans frowned, “I thought they already did that.”

Frisk grimaced, **They did but only colleges and a few high schools have followed through. This is expected of course. Look at desegregation in the 60s. It took forever, but I’m determined to get it enforced.**

Sans ground his teeth. Sometimes he could forget about this whole political bullshit around you, but it was stupid to do that. Realism was the most rational route to think.

 **What’s for dinner, Papyrus?** Frisk smiled at him.

“THAT IS A SURPRISE,” Papyrus answered back and headed back to the kitchen to prepare.

Frisk joined Undyne and Alphys as they watched some anime. Sans went to annoy his brother with his puns as he waited.

Awhile later he got a call from you.

“Sup,”

“H-Hey, um. Sorry, but I may not be able to come over. You see, Lizzy just came for a surprise visit and I don’t want her trip to be put to waste.”

You sounded very anxious like you were afraid you’d upset him. He hated that he still could make you feel like that.

“If you want, she can come too?”

He actually wanted to see this person who made you so happy. You didn’t say anything for a while.

“Are you sure?” you asked sincerely, “I don’t want to cause any trouble. Will the others be okay with that?

Sans leaned away from the phone and spoke to everyone in the room, “Hey, Maggie’s little sister is in town. Mind if she comes along?”

“SHE IS MORE THAN WELCOME.”

“Why not?”

“I-I don’t s-see a p-problem.”

**Sure!**

He leaned back to the phone, “No one's got a problem and I’m cool with it too- as long as she is nice to Papyrus.”

“Thank you so much. She’d mean wanting to meet you all.”

“See ya in a bit.”

He hung up, “Guess you’ll have to make more, Paps.”

“THAT’S NO PROBLEM. I ALWAYS ENJOY A CHANCE TO MAKE A NEW FRIEND.”

  


Sans had yet to see a stranger first meeting with one of you humans. Frisk met you atthe door. A girl, who was obviously young and yet taller than you stood by your side. She looked just like the photo. The girl’s eye bulged out of their sockets once she saw Undyne body slam you.

“This is your sister, right? She okay?”

“UNDYNE, DID YOU BREAK THE TINY HUMAN’S SIBLING??” Papyrus walked by looking worried.

“I-I don’t t-think that i-is poss-isble but it c-could be s-shock,” Alphy could be seen, peeking out behind the corner.

“Won’t that be electrifying.”

“SANS! YOUR BAD PUNS IS NOT HOW YOU GREET NEW FRIENDS!”

“Can’t help it, bro,” Sans smiled, but then his expression flattened, “But seriously, is she okay?”

Your sister hadn’t moved an inch since she saw Undyne. You shook her shoulder and whispered something. You had said she was different but right now it seemed you two were a pair; very anxious and to zone out easily.

“Apples don’t fall far from the tree?” Sans offered, “Isn’t that right, space cadet?”

You glared, and turned back to Lizzy, “Lizzy, I think we-”

Out of nowhere, she let out a screech. Sans thought at first it was from terror but soon saw it was the opposite.

“OH, MY GOD! DID YOU SEE THAT FISH LADY SHOULDER SLAM INTO YOU?! THAT WAS AWESOME!”

_What da fu-_

“I knew monsters looked different but no one told me you were cool looking. OMG is that Undyne? She’s so buff! Oh wow your tall, dude!” she looked up at Papyrus, “And people say I’m tall- Are you, two brothers?! Wow, you look so different! Does that makemeracistIdon’tknowwhattosayomgthatsAlphysright?Shelookssocute-”

“OKAY!” You waved your hands in front of her face. Apparently, this was a shock to you too.

_Let me repeat: Da fuck was that?!_

It was kind of comical how different your two introductions were. It was priceless. It had to try to hide his snicker but failed.

“Sorry,” he smiled, “just can’t believe you two apples fell from the same tree.”

Your cheeks turned pink.

“Yeah!” Undyne agreed, “I’ve only seen Maggie like that about anime!”

Your sister turned and pointed you, “NERD!”

_Oh God._

Even Frisk was laughing at this point.

Your sister joined in, “Sorry about that. I’ve never really met a monster before. I’m Lizzy.”

Lizzy had a big, genuine smile on her face.

Papyrus recovered from his own shock, “GREETINGS, HUMAN SIBLING, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS.”

She giggled and shook his hand, “You’re the one that likes to cook, right?”

Papyrus’s eyes brighten, “ABSOLUTELY. I AM A FANTASTIC COOK AND AM PREPARING THE MEAL FOR TONIGHT.”

“Really, what is it?” she asked.

“IT'S A SECRET. I ONLY WILL TELL THOSE WHO WORK IN THE KITCHEN.”

Lizzy rolled up her sleeves, “Mind if I join. Mine not half bad myself.”

Papyrus seemed happy for the assistance and you looked like you were trying to join them but Lizzy stopped you.

“Absolutely not. You are talented at many things, big sis, but a chef you are not. This will be the work of two master chefs. You will not touch it. It will burn upon contact.”

Ouch. You didn’t seem offended at least. In fact, you laughed and sat down at the table

Alphys and Undyne went back to watching their show while you watched your sister and Papyrus cook. Sans decided to sit with you. Lizzy caught you staring.

“Instead of gawking but don’t you do something YOU’RE got at like drawing?”

Sans looked at Lizzy, “Your sister can draw?”

“Are you kidding that's all she ever does at home. I’m surprised you didn’t want to be an art major, Mags. Did you know, Sans?”

Sans looked at you and smirked, “Nope.”

You sighed, “I didn’t want it to become a chore and I'm never really motivated and I don’t have time when I’m at school.”

“You got time now,” Lizzy commented pointed a mixing spoon as Sans, “Sans, get this lady pen and paper. Stat.”

He nodded, got some from his desk in his room, and gave you the acquired materials. What? He wanted to see if your sister was right.

You sighed, unamused, “What do you want me to do?”

“Anything! Just draw.”

You lean back in your chair, biting your lower lip. Sans had connected that too when you are concentrating. You twiddled the pencil in your fingers as he and Lizzy leaned in to see what you would do.

“Would you give a girl some space!” you yelled and the two backed away; Lizzy back to the mixing bowl and Sans back in his seat.

“Jeez, sorry kid.”

“Wow, Maggie, I didn’t know you were into that,” Lizzy smirked.

Sans grimaced. He had no intention of feeling that way to you as long as he saw you as a kid. That was the point. It was a form of negative reinforcement, not a kink. Sure, he adored your quirky personality but nothing more. You physically too looked like a kid, in a way. Yeah, you were tall and had a pretty face, but your body didn’t really look of that of a woman- at least from what he has seen from your baggy clothing, but maybe that’s the point-

_What am I doing???_

_No. No. NO._

_Why am I thinking about a human body as attractive??_

_And WHY my friend’s???_

 You pulled out your phone and pulled up iTunes. You started to play a piano and violin piece. It was beautiful, yet filled with anxiety.

_Like yo-_

“What is that?” Sans asked.

“Beethoven’s violin sonata no.9; Kreutzer.”

“Fan of the classics?” he mused.

You nodded but you were in the zone. He had never seen you look so focused. Your pencil moved to the tempo of the music. It was an elegant little dance in your fingers. He didn’t say anything, not wanting to disturb you. A half hour later you held the sheet out in front of you. It was a dancer; back bowed and arms grasping. It was beautiful.

“Done,” you proclaimed.

Frisk had wondered over and he hadn’t even noticed, **That’s so cool, Maggie!**

“Whoa, that’s actually really good.”

You eyed him, “Thank you?”

He had offended you. He had not meant to

_Shit._

He winced, “Didn’t mean it to come out that way.”

You chuckled, “it’s cool, dude,” and you passed it to him, “You can keep it if you want.”

_Reall-_

“Are you sure?”

“First rule about art: never get attached to your work. Keep it. I’ll most likely lose it.”

He nodded in understanding, folding the paper and putting it in his pockets. He knew this was nothing for you, but he actually felt touched.

Lizzy and Papyrus had put the dish in the oven at this point and joined Undyne and Alphys, who had finished an episode.

“Let’s play a game,” Lizzy suggested.

“EXCELLENT IDEA!” Papyrus cheered, “WHAT SHOULD WE PLAY?”

Lizzy looked quizzical, “Hmm...How about never have I ever?”

_Wait..._

You meant to catch that too and you grimaced, “Lizzy…”

“We don’t need to use alcohol. You folks got soda?”

Papyrus tilted his head, “WHAT IS THIS GAME?”

“Okay, so someone says something they never have done before and if anyone else in the group has done it, they take a drink. You go until everyone's drink is empty but the winner.”

_Yeah, it’s usually used to see how far teens have gone with sex..._

“Sounds COOL,” interjected Undyne. Frisk nodded in agreement. Alphys just looked nervous.

You stepped next to Lizzy, “Liz, you sure this is a good idea?”

“What? It's a great way to get to know people. Plus, it's not always about sex. Get ya mind out of the gutter.”

You swatted at her but sat down next to her and Sans snorted at your banter. Everyone was on the floor or couch in a circle. Sans went to the kitchen and brought back some coke and plastic cups. He filled them and pasted them around. He didn’t really think this was a good idea, but as long as your sister kept the topics innocent it shouldn’t cause any harm. He had noticed that she hadn’t sworn as much as he had except. He supposed you must have said something.

“Okay, Okay, I’ll go first,” Lizzy stated, so everyone else could get a sense of the rules, “Never have I ever worn a dress.”

Alphys and you drank. No surprise, but Undyne glared skeptically, “Really?”

“She would throw a hissy fit as a kid if mom dared to force her to wear it,” you added.

“Your turn, Alphys.”

“O-okay, ummmm….n-never have I e-ever, huh, been to the ocean.” Lizzy and you drank.

“Really, none of you??” They all just shrugged. Monster’s weren’t really allowed at public entertainment like beached and theme parks. However, since it wasn’t technically a law so it wasn’t as common knowledge as much as bars and restaurants.

“Never have I ever....” Undyne grinned at you, “cried at a movie…”

Sans turned to you immediately. You flushed and tried to defend yourself, “For your information, some movies has darker themes and-”

“-by Disney.”

You turned crimson.

_Aw._

“You guys are determined to make me lose.”

“Is that a challenge?” Sans quirked a brow bone and leaned towards you.

You said, dead panned, “No.”

He couldn’t help but smiled, “Never have I ever tripped over nothing.”

You groaned and took a sip, “I hate you,”

Frisk giggled but didn’t continue your torment, **Never have I ever beaten someone up.**

Undyne, Lizzy, and Sans all drank out of their cups. Yes, he had been in fights in the Underground. Most of them were when he was younger, protecting with little brother.

Then it was Papyrus turn.

“HMM, I KNOW! NEVER HAVE I EVER BEEN TO A CONCERT.”

Lizzy drank. Again, no surprise.

“Not even Mettaton's?” you asked.

“NOT YET, BUT I’M SAVING UP!”

Which was true. Paps had wanted to see Mettaton in person for as long as Sans could remember.

You nodded as a response it was your turn. Your lip curled into a smile, craving revenge.

“Never have I ever taken a nap in class-”

Lizzy only drank. Sans should have drank but he found a loophole.

“-including unnecessary gen eds!”

_Well, dammit._

Sans and Undyne glared at you and gave them a victorious grin.

“That’s not fair,” whined Undyne, “Philosophy is soooo boring AND YOU can’t tack on anything.”

“You did.”

She frowned, took a swig and folded her arms pouting.

Sans sighed, “Well played, kid,” and he took a sip of his own.

He saw you staring. You were too nice to ever ask about his anatomy. However, that line of thought was cut short when something strange happen. Lizzy and you were staring at each other and having a silent conversation. Lizzy looked victorious and her lip curled into a malicious grin.

“Never have I ev-”

Suddenly, you flung yourself at her like a tiger, tackling your sister to the ground in a tickle fight. Lizzy gasped and cried in laughter. Sans had never seen you act this way. For one, you willing touched someone; something you’ve never done in front of him. Second, you have never been aggressive. Ever.

_Is this how sisters are supposed to behave??_

“Al-alright. Alri-ight. ALRIGHT, YOU WIN!” you stopped and Lizzy glared at you, but was still smiling, “I won’t tell them.”

Sans could only stare. You looked confused at everyone.

“What?” you acted defensive, “She was about to spill the beans on a time I acted stupid.”

“Were you drunk?” Undyne grinned.

_Oops._

Sans may had let slip your little incident with the monster whiskey. A story that funny should not be kept quiet.

You glared, your face flushing red and arms fold, as Sans and Lizzy snickered at your embarrassment.

“I don’t have to answer that."

Lizzy did manage to work themselves into a giggle fit with made everyone else laugh and just the weirdness of the moment. 

 

Sans lost Lizzy’s little game. He was not surprised that Alphys won, to be honest. She spends years cooped up in her lab doing nothing...well nothing you humans would have done. Sans was fully awhile of her questionable experiments.

Paps and Lizzy made something called bake ziti. It smelled delicious. There wasn’t enough room on the table so everyone just sat on the couch or pull up chairs used for game night and watched a movie. Since Lizzy was the guest, she picked out a movie. She picked out “Little Shop of Horror”. Sans had never heard of it but apparently, it's some musical witch a dark quicky edge. It was...something.

“What the heck??” Undyne fussed, “Why is the chick staying with the sadistic dentist when she could be getting Seymore.”

“‘Cause she doesn’t feel she’s got a choice,” Lizzy answered.

“But-”

“Shhh. Just wait and watch!” Lizzy was taking this too seriously.

_This is too silly._

Sans was so confused when he saw that the plant could talk, “Is that thing...a dude?” He pointed at the screen.

_Humans are so weird if they made this._

“Yep.”

Sans didn’t appreciate some of the swearing and dark themes with Papyrus in the room but his little brother was happy with the ending so he was content.

Undyne picked out the next movie. Sans didn’t pay much attention, mostly because you had dozed off on his shoulder. Apparently, you move in your sleep, because somehow you got into that position. It felt odd but your warm, squishy body felt somewhat comfortable next to his bone. He picked up the blanket next to him and threw it over you. He started drifting off himself.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of these stories don't add as much as offers as you may find out.


	10. She's NOT a kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: (past) bullying and cyberbullying.

“WAKE UP LAZYBONES. THE HUMANS HAVE MADE PANCAKES. UP!”

Sans didn’t move when his brother yelled. He knew he’d get in trouble but didn’t care enough. Papyrus went over, picked him up, and shook him.

“SANS, WAKE UP! YOU ARE BEING RUDE.”

Sans opening one eye and gives him a thumbs up, “Sorry, bro. The time just crêped up on me.”

Papyrus looked like he could turn purple and start throthing at the mouth. He dropped Sans and stomped away.  Sans just kept on smiling, “Aw, come on, Paps, flip that frown upside down.”

Frisk laughed. You giggled and went over to help him up,“You okay, dude?”

“Yeah,” he continued to smile as you hauled him to his feet, “Paps loves my puns.”

“NO I DON’T!” Papyrus called out.

“But you’re smiling,” Sans poked his brother.

Paps folding his arms, “I AM AND I HATE IT.”

You and Frisk burst out into laughter. Sans was glad someone was amused at least.

“What are you nerds yapping about? Ugh, It’s too early for this crap!” Undyne yelled. Undyne was not a morning person at all.

Alphys took a bite of your sister’s pancakes and her groggy eyes lit up, “Liz-zy, these ar-are spectac-cular. D-did you add bl-blueberries?”

Your sister nodded, “Yup, I thought it would add some flavor.”

Undyne took a bite as well, “Holy Crap, this is great, Punk!”

**These are so delicious!**

“Dude, there just pancakes. Any idiot caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan….” she looked at you as her voice trailed off, “Well, most.”

You folded your arms and stomped like the little kid you were, “Rude.”

_Heh._

Papyrus, Sans, and you grabbed a plate and helped yourself to a stack. Sans admitted that they were pretty good but nothing could beat Pap’s food.

“Anyone want seconds?” Lizzy asked and not to Sans’s shock, everyone raised their hands.

 

You were humming to yourself as you helped Lizzy clean up. You seemed to be in a good mood. That changed when Lizzy’s phone went off. Her face paled and you grimaced.

“Hey, Papyrus, do you have a bathroom?” she asked. Papyrus pointed her in the general direction. Lizzy quickly raced into it and locked the door. She looked like she simply wanted privacy. Sans watched you disobey her wishes and snuck to the door laying your ear against it.  Sans couldn’t tell if this was a sister thing or not. You weren’t necessarily a nosy person. Whatever you were listening to made your frown deepen.

He appeared behind you and coughed, “Whatcha doing?”

You jolted back into the wall, eyes bulging like a deer in headlights.

“I-I’m just….you know…” you were mumbling to make an excuse

He gave you a weary look then whispered, “Why don’t you give her some privacy?”

You looked back at the door, yearningly but he took your hand and guided you away from it.

“You don’t need to worry about things you can’t control,” he added.

You gave him a weak smile as an answer.

 

 

Toriel had known there would be a storm later today and requested that Frisk leave as soon as possible. They lived together about an hour away so the kid left after breakfast. As everyone was saying goodbye, Sans looked nervously at the forecasting clouds. Not even an hour late, the pitter patter of rain turned into a downpour. When lightning started to flash and thunder roar, you went ridged and curled up upon yourself, not bothering to move. Lizzy saw this when she got out of the bathroom and raced to be by your side. Sans concluded that you must be scared of the loud noises just like the base of the frat houses. When the power went out, you started to freak out some more. Undyne used her magic to accommodate for the lack of light but no one, including Sans, knew how to help. Lizzy was holding and rocking you like a baby. Sans sat on the ground and scooted to be across from you, wishing he could help. Each time lightning flashes and thunder rumbles, you squeaked and clutched your sister tighter. He truly hated feeling useless at the moment.

“Is there anything we can be?” Sans asked Lizzy.

Lizzy shook her head, “Not from me. This stuff isn’t my forte, but rocking her back and forth helps. Do you all have a heavy blanket or a comforter?”

Papyrus was on the job before Sans could even move. He knew his brother must be worried sick about you. Alphys and Undyne looked at you uncomfortably. Most likely, you’ve never acted this way in front of them. Sans was just glad you weren’t having another panic attack. Paps came back into the room with one of their spare blankets and draped it over your shoulders. You clung to it for dear life.

Sans looked at Lizzy again, “How does that help?”

“Deep pressure therapy,” she stated, “Or at least something similar.”

Sans watched your shoulders fall back into place a little bit. You were trying to look everywhere but at your friends. Sans assumed you felt like an animal at the zoo. He knew he was part of the problem but didn’t know what else to do.

_Come on, tell us how to help._

Your phone started to ring. Your face went white as a sheet as first before you answered it.

“H-hello?”

You calmed down as the voice on the receiving end spoke. You told them your location and there was a fussing buzz from the other line. After another minute, you hung up.

Lizzy eyed your phone, “Mia?”

You nodded, “Yeah, she’s bringing some things,” you turned to Sans and Papyrus, “I-I hope that's okay.”

“OF COURSE. ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.”

_Couldn’t have said it any better._

“W-what i-is she br-bringing?” asked Alphys.

You were about to answer when another boom and flash hit. You practically threw yourself at your younger sister and whimpered.

“Shh...it’s okay,”

After another minute you sat up, took a breath and answered Alphys’s question.

“We kinda got a little first aid kit for episodes like this,” you guested to outside, “Just some stuff to calm me down and/or distract me. Seems to work.”

“Dammit!” Lizzy cursed at herself. She sounded so upset at herself, “Why didn’t I think of that!?”

You leaned into her, “It’s okay. Your still my favorite sister.”

Lizzy scowl changed into a laugh, making you smile until thunder roars once again, cracking through the air causing you to recoil once more.

Five minutes later, there was a knock on the brothers’ door. Sans opened it and let your roommate through.

“I’m…here,” she huffed. Sans had was roughly acquainted with Mia but he already knew she looked like a wreck compared to her usual attire. Her forehead and shoulders when drenched from the rain. She had a backpack slung over her back and a stuffed trash bag. She was huffing and puffing from whatever the hell was in it.

“Maggie, you got to start cleaning the room! It took me forever to find this,” she yelled, pulling out a gray confronted from the trash bag and threw it on you. San heard a loud thump as it hit you.

_What the hell?!_

“Ow!” The blanket must have been heavy as your voice was wheezy, “Way to be subtle.”

“Oops, I forgot how,” she tapped her finger against her chin, “you can give me a subtle thank you to show me.”

Papyrus glared at Sans, who was trying not to laugh. It wasn’t a pun but still a good play on words so he grinned.

“Thanks…you really not have to-”

“Oh shut up,” your roommate snapped, “Anyone got something to heat up water?”

“M-my ph-phone can t-turn int-to a j-jet pack. I c-can adjust the s-settings.”

Mia blinked at that, “That...sounds a bit overkill...but hell! Let’s try it.”

_Oh HELL no._

“Guys,” Sans interrupted them, “The stove will work fine. You just need a match, so please don't burn down our apartment.”

The two girls actually looked disappointed but mumbled a fine and scurried to the kitchen.

Sans glanced at you, “Not that I don’t trust your judgment, kid, but are you sure she can help you?”

“S-She gets sporadic when she’s worried. It’s normal,” your voice was a little strained and you wrapped the blanket around you and snuggled on top of Lizzy’s knees

“Here,” Mia bent down and tried to give you a mug but another crack burst through the sky. You recoiled from the cup.

“Come on,” she made her voice gentle, “It’s peppermint tea. It’s good for you.”

Mia’s temperament changed at that moment. When she made come into his home, she had started fussing at you and now it was like she was talking to a child. He didn’t know much about your relationship with Mia but he could tell there was sisterly affection for one another.

With shaking hands, you grasped onto the grey mug and brought it towards you. You calm down slightly after a few sips.

Mia smiled, “Good, keep drinking before it gets cold.”

You did so.

Mia’s method must have been working because you didn’t jump out of your skin at the next boom of the thunder.

Mia snapped her fingers, “Shit, I almost forgot. Here,” she handed you a pair of earbuds and you put them in.  Sans almost hit himself in the face. That was the easiest solution and it never came to mind. Sure he didn’t have earbuds because of the obvious but his beets should have done something.

Lizzy must have come to a similar conclusion as she quirked an eyebrow, “Wait a minute, what happened to yours?”

“Lost them.”

She rolled her eyes dramatically, "Of course."

Sensing the worse had passed everyone went into there little activities waiting for the storm to pass. Alphys and Undyne soon went off to read a manga together and Papyrus was working on a knitting project.  Sans just watched you. He didn’t mean to be creepy he just...liked seeing you relaxed.

_Okay, there is no way that's not creepy._

Apparently, Sans was making you nervous as your eyes were shifting around everywhere as Lizzy solemnly rubbed your back. Sans really liked your little sister. Even if she was a little wild, she was mature for her age. He could tell she needed to step it up to accommodate for you sometimes but there wasn’t an ounce of irritation written across her face; just worry and love. Sans didn’t know both of your family situations but he assumed it was one in which your younger sister had to grow up quickly.

Your expression turned darker and you looked ashamed… Sometimes Sans wished he knew what you thinking so he could sweep all the bad thoughts out of your pretty little head. Your face was made to smile in bliss not twist in discomfort

Suddenly you sat up abruptly. You poked at Mia, gesturing for her to give you your backpack. She did and you pulled out a little container. You emptied a good number of pills into your hand and swallowed them down with the tea. Your cheeks blushed when you saw Sans was staring.

_Did you really need all those for anxiety or it there something else?_

Mia clapped her hands together and leaned towards you, “Want me to do my trick?”

You sighed, “Sure. It’s always amusing.”

She gasped in fake offense, “Chica, it is not amusing. It’s magic.”

That gots Sans’s attention, though he was skeptical, “Magic?”

_Humans don’t have magic. What’s this bs she’s pulling?_

“I come from a long line of fortune tellers back in Venezuela,” Mia explain, “It’s not like the magic you monsters use,” she flicked one of the tiny spears, “It’s more-”

“A slide of hand trick?” you suggested.

Your roommate huffed, “That’s magic tricks. Not tarot reading. It’s more superstition, to be honest, but sometimes its right. It’s something you don’t know if it’s true like ghosts.”

Sans was getting the picture of it, “...you mean faith based?”

“Exactly,” Mia smiled, “Maggie loved this stuff, though she will never admit it.”

Lizzy smirked at you, “Oh? So you’ve been doing crystal balls and ouija board bs with your bestie but you won’t watch the Conjuring with me??”

Your cheeks pinked and you bit your lip into a pout. It was kind of cute.

Lizzy merely laughed and pulled you into tighter, “Don’t worry, big sis. I won’t make you watch it now. This little trick of your sounds fun though, Mia.”

Mia pulled out a stack of very old cards and shushed everyone as she shuffled the desk. She turned to Sans first and asked, “You game?”

_Whatever. What do I got to lose? It’s not like it’s real._

“Why the hell not?”

Mia smiled and split the desk, “Pick four cards. Don’t look at them.”

Sans did as he was told. She took the cards he plucked and put them in a shape of a diamond. Mia took a breath before slowly flipping each the cards over and studying them. Each of the cards had a picture of something medieval. After a few minutes, she looked up at him.

“Okay, so this is kinda sorted into four categories: Career, Health, Finances, and Romance. Each meaning of the card is determined by the symbols and the direction of the card,” she held up a tiny book, “I’ve memorized the meanings. I’m just explaining is so I don’t sound like I’m bsing this.”

Sans rested your skull in his palm while she explained, “Alright, what does it say ol’ wise one?”

Mia rolled her eyes, “It says your finances and career path are a bit of a struggle due to circumstances out your control, but your romantic life and health seem optimistic. The main force that will determine your future it faith, which seems to be something you presently lack.”

_What the fuck?_

That hit the nail a little too precise for San’s liking. It was too much to be a coincidence. San’s had hardly opened up to you and he had known you for a month. Why would Mia, who was hardly an acquaintance, know about his financial situation or his opinion on faith? The only part he called bullshit on was romance. It wasn’t as if he liked anyone.

_Well…_

_Shut up. She’s like a sister to me. I could never think just lewd thoughts about her. It was purely platonic._

_Right?_

_Of course._

He gave you a quick glance and then back to Mia. "Sounds pretty vague to me, but I get the point. Cool trick.”

San’s kept his expression blank but he could tell Mia had caught something and she didn’t like it. She muttered something in Spanish before turning to you, “Alright, Chica. Your turn.”

You did as Sans had done and after a minute, Mia read them to you, “What a surprise. Your health and career path are weaker due to lack of certainty in yourself. Sounds like anxiety to me,” she smirked, “Your financial path seems uncertain at the moment too. Your romantic life has some optimism. What will affect you most is self confidence.”

You blushed your adorable little pink color and your mouth fell open into an aw. Were these facts truer than you excepting like for Sans?

Another crack flared through the sky. This time you stiffed but didn’t hide for cover. You held your blanket tight and counted to ten. When you looked up, “I’m fine,” you said defensively. You drank more of your tea and then laid down on Lizzy’s lap again.

“Your turn, Liz.”

Lizzy took four cards and Mia read them. Mia’s face went pale and she didn’t talk for a long time.

“Your cards are a little different. You don’t need to worry about finances and romances as your personality draws both of them in. Your career seems uncertain at the moment which is related to your health.”

Lizzy frowned, “What’s wrong with my health?”

“It’s...it’s nothing,” Mia's eyes were shifty. Sans knew she was lying.

“Mia, tell me,” Lizzy leaned closer.

Mia grimaced, “This card is the symbol of a martyr and death.”

_Yikes._

Everyone got quiet. You were snoring lightly and Lizzy pulled you tightly into her.

“B-but it could be metaphorical like about a job or-”

“Of this is all bs,” Lizzy snorted, “I’m not scared of your little magic trick, Mia.”

“Careful,” Mia said flatly.

_God, she took this too seriously._

You whined a little in your sleep and snuggled into Lizzy, pulled yourself into a little ball. Lizzy played with one of your curls. It was picture perfect. Sans couldn’t help but smile.

Mia glared daggered at him.

_What was her beef with me?_

“What?” his tone was flat.

Her eyes when from Sans to you and back to Sans, “What’d you playing?”

“Sorry?” Sans was totally confused.

“Dude, you have to understand,” she said as she put the cards away, “Maggie doesn’t have a father so someones gotta hold the shotgun.”

Sans nodded still very much confused, “...Okay?”

“I’ve known Maggie sense middle school. I’ve seen the boys she’s been around. She’s too sweet and they’ve all treated her like shit. You seem nice but I’m only saying this once,” she closed the box and stared at him with blazing eyes and her voice low, “If you so much as hurt one hair on her head, I’ll make sure no one finds your dust.”

Sans brow bones shot up, “Whoa, whoa, you’ve got the wrong idea. Maggies like a little sister to me.”

“Well then you're a creep, cus I wouldn’t look at a little sister like the way you’ve been.”

“What are you talking about?” Sans didn’t see what justified her attack on him, “She’s just a kid-”

“She is NOT a kid,” Mia spat.

“Mia, shhh. You’re gonna wake her up,” Lizzy tried to calm her down.

Mia’s temper seemed to flare, “You...you don’t even know, do you?”

Sans was getting frustrated, “Know what??”

Mia’s eyes widen, “God...you’re a fucking idiot...that makes this worse. She really never told you.”

“Mia…”Lizzy warned her.

“No. If he’s going to make googly eyes at my best friend, he has the right to know.”

Sans growled, “I’m not-”

“Oh shut up.”

“But Mia…”

Mia folded her arms and gestured at him, “No, I’m not going to let him insult her like that.”

_What the hell are they on about?!_

“Mia! No,” Lizzy scowled, “That’s not for you to say!”

Mia raised a hand to silence her, “Fine! Fine! I won’t tell, but you!” she pointed at Sans, “She is not a child. Stop treating her like one. Maggie can’t help being the way she is. She may act silly or childlike at times but Mags close to her twenties. She is an adult so treat her with respect.” Mia finished behind clenched teeth.

Lizzy frowned, “Mia...what happened? Why are you harrassing Sans? He didn’t do anything.”

Mia pointed at Sans, “He likes my best friend but is belittling her. Lizzy, remember Jason? Remember David? And Zach? James? Collen? Patrick? Hell, all those assholes a few years ago??? They all thought of her as less than them because of you-know-what! Don’t you remember??? Didn’t she tell you?"

Lizzy’s face went pale. Sans tried to intervene by raising his hand, “But I don’t-”

“Your mouth says one thing but your eye’s say another.”

Lizzy frowned, “Mia...I know about Jason, but who were the rest?”

Mia looked puzzled, “She-damn it she never told you, did she? Well, you were a lot younger.”

“Tell me what?”

Mia looked at Sans and whispered, “You will never speak to Maggie about this.”

Sans was lost at this point but he was just relieved Mia had been shifted from her tangent, “Uh sure.”

Mia leaned forward so no else in the room could hear, “It started our freshmen year of high school. Believe it or not, Maggie used to be very open and a wild child. She...she didn’t always know what was appropriate to say and not. She ended up calling out a popular senior, embarrassing him in front of a chick he’d been trying to get in their pants for a while. So he got pissed and decided to pull this ‘prank’ or least it started as a prank. He had one of his junior friends, David flirt with her and tried to go out with her in an attempt to get some dirt on her. Mags never got that attention before and was putty in his hands...it started with silly rumors around the school but it excelled. I tried to tell her that David was spreading them but she couldn’t believe he’d do that to her. When she went looking for support, he broke it off leaving her devastated until it seemed like someone else from the group cared for her and the cycle just kept going and getting worse. One of them sneaked in and took pics of her showering and plastered them on Instagram. Another posted a video mocking her during one of her panic attacks. Another found out why she needed to take so much medicine and made a blog releasing her medical history. It made her sound like she was a sociopath….she started to fall apart. Mag started missing school and eating less. Then there was Jason. After the blog incident, he made her believe no one but him was care about a ‘retardic mess’ like her. She believed him for the longest time but...after an incident, Mags got smart and broke it off but the damage was done.”

Mia looked at Sans, “Because she was a little different, they humiliated her every way possible. Her self-esteem was shattered...I should have shanked them all. I couldn’t help her then, but I’m not going to stand by anymore. I’ve got to be the shotgun dad.”

Lizzy looked like she was going to cry.

“But you’re not her dad.”

Mia got up and headed for the door, “I know but I’m the closest thing she’s got.”

 

About an hour later the lights turned back on so Paps and Undyne played a video game. Based on their cheer, they hadn’t heard their conversation. Soon after, you began to stir and yawn into consciousness. It was quite a shame that to see you out of that state of peace and free from the knowledge Sans had just learned. Then again...you lived through it.

You were never free.

“Where’s Mia?”

Lizzy looked so weary, “She said she had things to do.”

You looked between Sans and Lizzy, most likely sensing the tension, “...Is everything alright?”

Sans’s expression changed into his casual smile,“Everything’s fine, kiddo,”

For Mia’s sake, he should probably stop calling you that but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t mean to belittle you. You were just so innocent; like a child.

You didn’t look pleased with San’s response. Lizzy gripped on to you tighter,“Maggie, think we can have a sister bonding night?”

You blinked, “O-of course.”

That made sense. Sans forgot that Lizzy was just her little sister and didn’t take the news well. God, what would happen if Paps had suddenly had a bombshell of the stuff Sans had gone through when they were kids dropped on him all of the sudden? He’d be distraught.

“Bye, Sans,” you were waving at him with a shy smile.

“Take care, kiddo.”

After you and Lizzy left, Sans excused himself to take a nap. Really, he just wanted time to think. He had thought you were merely shy and anxious. He hadn’t realized how damage your self-esteem was. Bullying was one thing but some of the stuff those boys had done had crossed the fucking line. No wonder Mia freaked out at the idea of San’s crushing on her best friend and roommate.

_What he crushing?!_

_Yes?_

_No._

_Yes?_

_Not the best time to think of that!_

There were definite holes in the story, some for respect of your privacy...some were considering your medical history. He was sure of it. Sans looked at his laptop.

_Don’t do it._

_But I need to sate my curiosity._

_Fuck your curiosity._

_But for science-_

_Fuck science! This is your friend! Respect her._

_But…_

He reached for his laptop and search up the blog. It was easy to find.

_You Dick! What the fuck!_

He ignored his concuss and continue. It was quite extreme. Sans didn’t believe a word about psychosis or anything about being crazy. Most of them were mental health terms like ADHD, anxiety, depression and-

_Huh, what's this?_

There were two words, bolded and red with the words retarded and crazy circling it. He would’ve dismissed if not for the fact that it sounded a bit scientific. It could be nothing but he thought he’d look it up.

He typed into google: Asperger’s Syndrome.

 


	11. I won't admit a thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: panic attack

_Asperger syndrome is one of several previously separate subtypes of autism that were folded into the single diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD)..._

_...Affected children and adults have difficulty with social interactions and exhibit a restricted range of interests and/or repetitive behaviors. Motor development may be delayed, leading to clumsiness or uncoordinated motor movements. Compared with those affected by other forms of ASD, however, those with Asperger syndrome do not have significant delays or difficulties in language or cognitive development…._

_The following behaviors are often associated with Asperger syndrome: limited or inappropriate social interactions, challenges with nonverbal communication (gestures, facial expression, etc.) coupled with average to above average verbal skills, inability to understand social/emotional issues or nonliteral phrases, lack of eye contact or reciprocal conversation, obsession with specific, often unusual, topics, and awkward movements and/or mannerisms…._

After absorbing his research, Sans leaned back on his bed to let it sink it. If you did have ASD, it would explain some of your quirks that you were always self conscious of. You were a did clumsy and didn’t always read his reactions current- then again the fact you could slightly understand the expressions of a skull was still impressive. He understood now why you never looked him in the eye when he first met you. It had nothing with him being a monster. Truthfully, he felt kind of silly for how he judged you in the beginning. You didn’t deserve it.

His opinion of you had not changed with this news. Why should it? If you could take him without quarrel for being a big, scary monster, why should it matter that you think a little differently? Personally, he didn’t understand by other humans made a big deal out of it.

Why’d they wanted to destroy you for being a little different? That shouldn't have outcasted you, but in the eyes of the prejudiced human, it was plenty. It pissed him off. He could take insults fine but you shouldn’t have too. You were too...what? Nice? That word wasn’t good enough.

He wasn’t going to approach you about it until you were ready. When, or if, you ever confirmed the information given, he’d take you no other way.

 

 

He didn’t see you at all the following week, not even on your way to bio. You always texting an excuse and whenever he saw you on campus for the distant, you were running and looked nervous. He didn’t know what that was about. He wasn’t sure if you were mad at him or merely were anxious about midterms next week. He didn’t ask during your tutoring session. You had offered your room as the place to study for the last couple of sessions, including today. You actually knew the information well enough that he barely had to intervene. You were one of his few students who studied too, which he appreciated.

“Awesome. You ready for that quiz tomorrow?” Sans was sitting at your desk while you sat up in your bed.  
  
You nodded, “I better.”  
  
Sans chuckled at your determination and shrugged on his jacket. He assumed you wouldn’t want him around after this week, “If we’re done, I guess I'll see you-”  
  
“You don’t have to go,” you blurted out.

Sans paused.

_Okay. Dismisses the theory that she’s mad at me...then what’s going on?_

He knew it was none of his business so he wouldn’t push. He secretly hoped you’d tell him regardless...he can’t help his curiosity sometimes. He simply shrugged and sat back down, “Alright, kid. Got anything in mind?”  
  
You twirled a curl as you thought, “We could just talk…”  
  
He frowned. Usually, he just left after some playful banter. You never asked him to stay for a friendly chat. He always assumed you were busy after each session. You were acting strangely, “Is that something wrong?”  
  
“No!” you said too quickly, “I just..I just don’t know a lot about you."  
  
Sans thought to himself that that couldn’t be true but then again he was the master of secrets. He didn’t open up to anyone, then again neither did you. He presumed that's was friends were supposed to do. Sans was never particularly close to anyone besides Papyrus; not even Undyne, his old boss, and Alphys, his former co worker.  
  
“Sorry but you’re really good at talking about things that don’t matter,” you went on to say, “I can guess you’re a very personal guy but I’d still like to get to known you.”  
  
Truthfully, he was afraid you’d start asking the deep stuff but he didn’t see you throwing any curve balls.  
  
“....o-only if you’re okay with it?”  
  
He looked at you and saw that you looked uncomfortable. You were hugging this big old stuffed rabbit for dear life. He didn’t mean to make you nervous. Sans would agree as long as you spilled some beans too. His thirst for knowledge must be quenched.

“Sorry, kid but I think the phrase I’m looking for it pot calling the kettle black.”  
  
You blinked and looked back at him. He gave you a lazy smile to show he was just teasing you, “You’re right. You can ask, but I won’t always answer.”

 _Fair enough._  
  
He nodded, “Same.”  
  
You scooted over and patted next to you on your bed. Sans pauses for a moment before accepting the offer. You’d never let him sit on your bed before. You hugged your worn rabbit closer.  
  
“Let’s start easy: what’s your favorite color?”

_Heh. Questions like that I can deal with._

It only took him a second to think, “It used to be blue but after seeing the sun rise for the first time, I’d say orange. Your’s?”  
  
You smiled your warm little smile, “Green.”  
  
“‘Cause your Irish?” he teased. He remembers how all your humans act at the beginning of March.  
  
You rolled your eyes, “Don’t make me pinch you next St. Patties. Your turn?”  
  
He looked around then pointed to the wall of photos, “Why are you obsessed with pit bulls? You’ve got twenty picture of them.”  
  
You giggled and hugged your rabbit, “Aren’t they just the cutest. I had a pittie growing up and she was such a sweetheart. I mean, how can you resist this big ol’ smile??”

 _...that amount of cute should be illegal._  
  
He covered up his flustered reaction with a smirk, “Ain’t they aggressive?”  
  
You pouted, “No! It’s the Deed, not the Bread! Pitties are just super loyal. Don’t blame them for having a bad owner. Don’t get me started on that or I won’t shut up! Mia says I become a motormouth.”  
  
Sans tried to hide a laugh with a cough but failed. He couldn’t stand just how adorable you were at the moment.  
  
“Speaking of, is it hard seeing creatures like dogs and cats on leashes when there are monsters like them?”  
  
Sans took a second before responding. It was a little weird. Frankly, he was fine because he understood that animals didn’t have the same intelligence level as humans and monsters. As long as they were given attention and food, pets were happy. Plus, Sans had had a few interactions with the annoying dog. He hoped he had an owner to annoy now instead of being a stray, “A little. We had dogs and cats in the Underground but we never kept them as pets. What’s your favorite food?”  
  
“Mac and cheese. One of the only things I can’t burn.”  
  
Sans did laugh at that, “K-Kid, I’d be concerned if you could.”

_How can you burn something you boil??_

Your ears pinked and you looked at his hand. He saw you studying the joints and connections of bone. He could tell you wanted to ask but was afraid of being rude.  
  
“You wanna ask how this stays together?” he shook it loosely.  
  
You bit your lip and nodded.  
  
“The same way I do everything….Magic!”  
  
“God Dammit, Sans!” you huffed.  
  
He gave you one of his satisfied grins, “Alright, if we are asking about anatomy, I got one for you: what’s exactly is a menstrual cycle?”  
  
“Uhh...where’d you learn that?” you asked puzzled.  
  
“From you textbook actually,” he leaned in closer causing you to blush, “Do girls really bleed from...you know?”  
  
You cringed and pushed him playfully, “Ewww, I don’t want to give the human talk to you, dude.”  
  
“Come on! You’re the best human gal friend I got.”  
  
You blew a strange of hair out of your face, “Only cus I’m the only one you got.”  
  
“But I answered your anatomy question.”  
  
“First off you gave me a bullshit answer-”  
  
“No need for language, kid,” he winked. A pretty mouth like yours shouldn’t spout foulness...wait, what?  
  
“Second!” you ignored him, “It wasn’t a question about your...nether regions. How would you like me to say “Hi Sans! So do you have a pe-”  
  
He knew what you were going to say and to prove he was confident with his body just fine, he answered,“Yes.”  
  
Sans had never seen you so embarrassed. You hid your burning face into the rabbit and let out a scream of frustration. It was the most precise thing in the world.

_Stars,  she’s so adorable. She needs to stop before I do have feelin- What feelings!? I don’t have any of those. Soul of stone in here._

“That. Was. Rhetorical!!! Dude, I wanted to get to know you but NOT on that fucking level-SANS IT’S NOT THAT FUNNY!”  
  
He just kept laughing at your bought on misery. You looked like you were trying to look mad but it looked like a pout.

 _God, this is so perfect! Her face!_  
  
It took him a few more minutes to compose himself

You continued to pout, “Are you quite finished?”  
  
“Heh-I’m mean yes,” his voice was an octave higher because of his reaction to his little joke, “Now you have no reason not to answer. Come on. Be proud of the machine that is your body.”  
  
You crinkle your nose, “Can’t be proud when it likes to throw a hissy fit and scrape out my inners with a god damn spork every month I’m not cooking something in it.”  
  
Sans tilled his skull.

_Wait, it hurts?_

“Isn’t it just like pissing for you humans? The book said it was the body’s way of disposing of waste.”  
  
“It’s kind of like that if you were peeing with the consistency of chocolate fish smelling syrup...and don’t get me started on the cravings and crying and cramps. Oh my god, those are the WORSE! I feel like I’m dying.”  
  
Sans winced, “Yikes. Uh...do the males get an equivalent?”  
  
“Nope!” you laid back on your pillow, “Like everything else, we girls get the short end of the stupid stick.”  
  
Sans didn’t say anything and you too got quiet. Sans knew there was a gap between males and females in society. He never realized how much that bothered you as a girl. Sans took that stuff for granite; not because he was a guy but because he was a monster. There were no us and them until monsters interacted with humans.

“...Sans?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
You chewed on your lip and scratched your wrist. You were nervous. Sans didn’t think he had to worry. All your questions had been purely innocent.  
  
“I won’t bite.”  
  
“Do...Do you miss the Underground?”  
  
….

_Shit...should have seen that coming._

Sans didn’t like to think of the Underground where he had been trapped for three hundred years. It was too easy to fall into self pity. After the incident with their father, Sans raise Paps alone on the streets when he was sixteen. It had been rough and there were nights San when to bed without food so Papyrus could have something in his stomach. Sans resulted to stealing for the longest time until Undyne caught him one day. She took pity on him after seeing Paps and gave them a job as manning sentry stations and looking for humans. Sans never wanted to tell you...but he killed two of them. They had just been kids too. He hoped you’d never find out. He didn’t think he could take the look of betrayal on your face when you found out he was a murderer.  
  
He snapped out of it when he heard a sniff. You were crying with your head bowed.

“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business,” you jumped off the bed and scurried to the sink. Sans saw you were trying to open a pill bottle with trembling hands.

_...Shit._

Sans was so wrapped up in his thoughts about the Underground that he had ignored you completely. Most likely you had assumed he was mad at you. He had to remember how fragile your self esteem was.

Your attempt to get the cap off the bottle became frantic. Sans crept off the bed and took the bottle from your tiny hands. He had never realized how soft and warm they were. He uncapped the bottle and plucked out a pill, placing it in the warmth of your palm. He began to rub circled on your back until you calmed down. After you calmed down, he guided and sat you down in your bed, placing your beloved rabbit in your arms. You hugged it tightly.

Once he knew you were calm, he answered your question.  
  
“It’s not like it was a bad place. It was cheery for the most part. We had a system that monsters were happy with. We celebrated holidays. We had jobs with equal pay. We could meet for game night without worrying if our friends would make it home okay. Monster kids could go to school without being shot at. The closest thing we had to a gang was the ol’ lady’s book club and some brats looking for trouble. We lived in peace.”  
  
He looked you dead in the eye, “But we weren’t free. Our cell merely was pretty but it was still a prison. I watched so many monsters corrode to dust after they lost hope.”  
  
Your eyes widened, then you looked away with guilt plastered upon your face.

 _Not this time._  
  
Sans grabbed your chin gently, drawing it closer to him.  
  
“Don’t you dare feel shame for something you didn’t do, sweetheart.”  
  
Sans thought he’d fall apart as tears welled in the corner of your big cow eyes with your cheeks pink and your lips parted. It was becoming hard not to fall for something like that….  
  
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door followed by “RA”  
  
You jumped a little from his hold and made your way to the door. Sans heard something about a pizza delivery which confused him. He hadn’t seen you order anything. Apparently, it confused you too.

“I didn’t order anything.”  
  
You turned to Sans, who raised his hands and shrugged, “Don’t look at me.”  
  
“I think he said someone ordered it for you,” the RA went on to say, “Mind seeing if you know the person?”  
  
You shrugged and followed the RA. Sans didn’t want to be in your room alone without permission so he followed. He saw a teenage boy at the front desk holding a pizza box.

“Hey, are you Maggie Murphy?”  
  
You nodded, “Yeah, but I didn’t order anything.”  
  
“Yeah, your boyfriend did.”  
  
_Boyfriend?? Mia didn’t mention a current boyfriend._  
  
“Here, the credit card belonged to a Jason Thompson. He wanted us to write a note but to be honest, it was a little weird but hey, it’s your boyfriend,” he handed you a note, “He wanted me to write some lines from the “Santa Clause” song.”

_Jason Thompson….wait a minute. Jason was the guy who-_

“Sorry, is that some inside joke between you two?”

You started to hyperventilate. He looked at you but you were clearly not seeing him.

“Maggie?”  
  
You screamed, throwing the card and scrambling away from it.

_What the hell?!_

You rolled over onto your side. The Ra and the pizza boy tried to get near you but you lashed out at them.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Sans knew this was not like the panic attack like at the frat house. It’s was pure fight or flight mode you were in and everything was a threat. You had put yourself into a corner and was frantically looking for an escape, eyes bulging. You were clutching at your poor neck, trying to breathe. He knew he had to be delicate. San sat on the floor across from you so you knew where he was and wasn’t a dominating figure above you. He showed you his hands in a calming gesture.  
  
“Hey, Maggie, it’s okay,” he whispered as if to a child, “I’m not going to hurt you.”  
  
You just stared at him, afraid.

“I’m going to help you. Can I?”  
  
You didn’t say anything but you didn’t lash out at him either.  
  
He crawled forward and slowly placed a hand on your shoulder. Sans have come up with this technique after learning of the deep pressure therapy. In battle he could change the gravitational pull and direction of his opponent with blue magic. He was doing the same thing with a lot less pressure and a bit of a kinetic pulse for warmth. It was supposed to stimulate your weighted blanket. It seemed to work. Your breathing steadied and your body relaxed against the wall closing your eyes. He released you but didn’t withdraw his magic.

He went over and picked up the little note. It said:  
  
_He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good..._  
_So be good for goodness sake_

...  
  
_What the fuck!?_  


 

Sans gave you until a police officer arrived to rest. He shook you gently and forced a smile.  
  
“Hey there, space cadet. This cop just wants to ask you a few questions.”  
  
He helped you up and walked over to the old officer. The man looked at the two of you and narrowed his beady eyes.

 _Oh no._  
  
“I remember you. You’ve got that boyfriend who trying to get you away from that,” he pointed at Sans. He knew what was coming.  
  
“Well, it seems he may be creepy but it's not a threat so there isn't anything we can do about it.”  
  
Anger bubbled in Sans’s nonexistent stomach. The cops could harass him all he wanted, but not this.  
  
“Fine,” you spun on your heels, heading back to your room.  
  
“Maggie, wait!” the RA called, “Let me call the overnight psychologist. You just had a panic attack. They can be very scary.”  
  
“Thank you, but no thanks,” you said in a clipped “I have a pre-existing condition that causes me to get panic attacks all the time. I can deal with it.”

You stormed off to your room, slamming the door behind you. Sans opened it quietly to find you screaming into a pillow. He draped a blanket over your rocking form. He sat down and waited for your anger to settle down.  
  
“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, “I shouldn’t have asked you to stay, Sans.”  
  
“Don’t be. I’m glad I was here, to be honest. I don’t feel you should have gone through that alone.  
  
You clung to the blanket tighter. Sans hesitated but sat down next to you. As much as he wanted to make sure you were okay, he needed answers.

“Mind letting me in what's going on?”  
  
You breathed out, “My ex-boyfriend, Jason has been harassing me over text for the past year. A week ago, it turned to stalking. He threatened Lizzy when she was here. I tried going to the police but there is nothing they can do.”  
  
Sans was silent.

 _So not only had this prick made your life missable in high school but he followed you to college?!_  
  
“I-I'm scared, Sans. I’m scared to leave my dorm. I’m worried about Mia and you all. I’m scared he’ll hurt me or one of you. I’m just not strong enough to do anything.”  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” he tried to keep the frustration out of his voice but it bled through. He knew he had shown he could help you with harassers, but apparently not. Were you worried he’d get hurt or something?  
  
“I never took him seriously till a week ago and I didn’t want to worry you. I can deal with a few insults just...not this.”  
  
Things started to click into place, “Is that why I haven’t seen you all week.”  
  
You nodded bringing your knees to your chin.  
  
"Do you think he would physically harm you?"  
  
"Yes."

…

 _I not going to let that happen._  
  
“Do you have jewelry?”  
  
“Uh..what?”  
  
“Jewelry that you’ll wear all the time like a necklace or rings?”  
  
You looked so confused, “I have a pair of earing.”  
  
“Can I see them?” he gestured with an open palm.  
  
“I..uh...sure?” you got up and plucked them out of your jewelry box,“Here.”  
  
Sans closed his hand and his eyes, concentrating.  It was a simple trick he had developed for his brother when they were on the streets and Sans couldn’t be around. It wasn’t much, but it would signal him in any danger.

“Here. Put them on,” you did as you were told.  
  
“If you ever feel unsafe, tap one of the earings three times. It’ll work as a beacon for me to find you if you're in harm. Don’t worry, it only works if it is triggered.”  
  
You looked up at him, eye full of tears. Sans started to panic, “Oh no. What’s wrong? I-”  
  
You assaulted him with a bear hug, crying garbled thank yous. Sans eyes widened. You never touched...well, anyone...and now you were giving him a full body hug. Sans tried to ignore how good your body felt against his. It was just so soft and squishy, even through the baggy clothing. He loved how it felt as he encircling his arms around your shoulders.

He would never admit his soul was singing.

 


	12. Can't deny it anymore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert to "To Kill a Mockingbird" (last section)

From the advertisements and decorated apartment doors, San’s assumed it was close to Halloween. Sans truly despise the human holiday: it may have started with an innocent purpose but ever since monster appeared on the surface, the whole month of October was used as a means of mockery. It wasn’t as bad now, but during the first few years, humans would dress up as monsters and harass neighbors and just act...like savages would be the best word, but let's say uncivil. It was basically an equally to blackface. It’s mostly just some anti monster organizations that do that now, but San’s introduction had left a foul taste in his mouth.  
  
Papyrus still loved the holiday. He had a more forgiving nature than Sans, saying the humans were just naive to the truth and kindness would show them otherwise. He always went trick or treating with the kid when they were younger. Sans went with them of course, just in case someone tried a trick that went too far.  
  
Undyne had gotten a real kick out of the idea of scaring the crap out of everyone. She used to go around all the haunted houses in the city to get a taste of it. Alphys went with her, but Sans assumed it was just an excuse to hug her girlfriend when she got scared like in cheesy romances. That would fit her personality.  
  
This year, they were away from the city so they just decided to just hang out together and watch some scary movies. Papyrus insisted that everyone dressed up that way it would be a costume party. Undyne said she invited you too but Sans didn’t like that gleam in her one eye.  
  
  
  
You were a lot chipper than usual, walking to class. Hell, you were practically skipping the whole way.  
  
“What’s up with you? You're never happy about bio.”  
  
You twirled around dramatically. If you’d been wearing a skirt it would’ve flared out like a flower, “I just really like Halloween. No amount of Dr. Hans is going to ruin that for me!”  
  
He chuckled, “Guess you’re excited about tonight?”  
  
“Absolutely!” you cheered, “Aren’t you?”  
  
He decided to spare your feelings. He liked that little sparkle your eyes get when you were really happy so he just shrugged, “I guess. Your human holiday’s sure are strange. Are silly pumpkins  and plastic masks really suppose to scare ghosts away?”  
  
“That’s the old Halloween,” you waved a hand dismissively, “Nowadays it's been so over commercialized that it’s just for fun. Do kids come by the apartments? I know some do at other schools.”  
  
“No clue. Pap's got candy just in case.”  
  
“If, not I’ll take it off your hands,” you started to have a little giggle fit. You did that whenever you got too excited.  
  
Sans rolled his eyelights at you, pretending to be annoyed.  
  
All but one canceled their tutor sessions today so the time went be quick. Afterward, Sans wanted to do nothing but sleep away this dreadful holiday. Unfortunately, he found he couldn’t fucking sleep. He just kept tossing and turning. Sans had already gotten ahead with his homework and wasn’t in the mood to read about astrophysics at the moment. He was content with just scrolling through Twitter when his eye flickered to a small book under a pile of papers. Sans had picked it up last time he was in the library with you. You loved to prattle on about books, especially the classics. You had picked out this particular book and begged him to check it out. He remembered you were practically jumping up and down.  
  
You kept saying “Sans, it a classic. You HAVE to read it. I want to know which half you like better. Everyone either likes one or the other. Come on! Please. Please. PLEASE!”  
  
Sans had said yes merely to satisfy you but he had never had any intention of actually reading it but seeing as he had some time to kill, Sans simple said, “Fuck it,” and plopped back on his bed, book in hand.  
  
He looked at the title. It said To Kill a Mockingbird. He started to flip through it and actually got sucked in. San didn’t usually read for fun. He read to be educated but had to admit this was nice. Sans was a very quick reader and the book was only about two hundred pages so he almost finished it by the time his brother called. He knew what you meant now by the two parts of the story. While it was all in the perspective of a little girl named Scout, the first half was more of a coming of age story and then it suddenly shifts to be about a rigid trial. He really liked the second half with Atticus Finch; thought he was a good character. He didn’t understand why Finch tried so hard for a hopeless case, literally. Finch didn’t know the man, why should he care if a strange dies because of injustice? Sans would’ve been too lazy to do any of that. Papyrus called for him as Sans was reaching the end of the trial. Begrudgingly, he put the book down.  
  
“SANS, WHY AREN’T YOU GETTING READY?”  
  
“Give me a sec, bro,” he went into his brother’s room and grabbed Papyrus’s favorite hoodie and put it on over his shirt. Sans went out and met his brother in the kitchen.  
  
“SANS, THAT NOT A COSTUME.”  
  
“Course it is. I’m dressed as you, bro.”  
  
Papyrus frowned, “WOULDN’T RATHER DRESS UP AS SOMETHING ELSE.”  
  
“Why would I want to? You’re the coolest, bro.”  
  
  
  
Soon after, Undyne and Alphys showed up. They were dressed as some anime couple. Sans thought it could be Sailor Moon but he couldn’t be certain. They brought with them a few boxes of pizza. Apparently, kids had been coming to the door for a few hours now.  
  
_How did I not notice? Oh well, who cares.  
_  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
“SANS, CAN YOU ANSWER THAT?”  
  
Sans did just so and saw a few kids on the doorstep with their parents right behind them.  
  
“Trick or Treat!” they all yelled.  
  
Sans got the bowl of candy and started passing it out. One of the kids dresses as a princess who looks like she was no older than three grabbed onto one of his fingers. She was shaking his hand, probably noticing hold strange it was. The little pipsqueak starting laughing. The boy next to her wasn’t as amused.  
  
“What are you supposed to be?”  
  
Sans tensed for a sec, then realized he met his costume, “I could say the same, kid.”  
  
The kid pointed at himself proudly, “I’m Spiderman. You’re just in a jacket. That’s so boring. Adults are so boring. You’re boring. I’m I right, Tabby?”  
  
“Borry!” the three year old was clapping her hands together.  
  
“Billy, there’s no need to be rude,” one of the parents scolded.  
  
The kid shrugged, “Thanks, Mr. skeleton,” and left.  
  
Sans closed the door smiling. As much as he disliked most humans, he loved kids. How could you not? They say the silliest things.  
  
He answered the door for about another hour. Undyne said you were on your way. She had given him them creepy face when she said so.  
  
_What? Is she in a joke costume or something?  
  
I doubt it. That’s not her personality._  
  
Sans saw a college girl walk across his line of vision while passing out candy. She was in a skimpy bunny outfit.  
  
_Would you be wearing something like….Nah!  
_  
Sans presumed most likely you’d go lazy like him. You loved to dress to be relaxed and always ready to take a nap. Sans oddly respected that about you. He heard a knock on the door and was surprised not to see a midget.  
  
“Hey, we just-whoa.”

 _..._ _  
  
Fucked…  
  
I’m fucked…_  
  
San was not mentally prepared for what he saw. He didn’t even recognize you at first without your curls and freckles. Your brown eyes were piercing through that dark makeup and thick lashes. There was a fake ring in your nose and your lips darkened looked so much fuller. Your hair had been straightened and dyed pink and blue like cotton candy. He looked down at your chest where your soul should be and-  
  
_Oh my god, there’s boobs.  
  
Since when did Maggie have breasts?? How is that possible?!_  
  
You tight shirt was showing off your curves even with the leather jacket on. He looked lower and saw the tattered skirt did not hide the curve of your thighs or your long legs.  
  
Sans felt like he had been hit by a fucking train and didn’t know if he should act like any sane guy and be turned on or to act like a disappointed father. Two minutes ago, you were his quirky bookworm friend who loves her giant fuzzy sweaters. Now, you were…  
  
“So… you going to invite me in?” you were flushing and twiddling with a strand of the skirt.  
  
Right. You were Maggie. You still loved anime and your stuff animals and fell over everything like a clumsy ox. It was a costume; nothing more. Just because it showed off your...uh...very nice figure doesn’t mean you aren’t the same person.  
  
_Then why is my soul spazzing out?!  
_  
“SANS, IS THAT THE TINY HUMAN? INVITE THEM IN, YOUR BEING RUDE.”  
  
Sans stepped to the side to let you in, without saying a word. He noticed your walk made your hips sway ever so slightly. His breath hitched in his throat.  
  
_Do not look at her ass. Do not look at her ass.  
_  
“Sans, are you feeling alright?  
  
_Do. not. Look. at. her-  
_  
“I’ma…,” he cleared his throat, “Yeah, I’m terrific, sweetheart.”  
  
Your cheeks pinked and you gave a shy smile as you turned away to greet the other.  
  
…  
  
He did glance at your ass for a second.  
  
_Goddammit, asshole. Get your fucking mind out of the gutter.  
_  
“Hey, PUNK YOU-” Undyne looked up and down you and then leaned your head back into a belly laugh, “Dude, I thought I told you not to dress sexy!”  
  
“What?? The length is school appropriate.”  
  
_That doesn’t mean it’s not sexy  
_  
“School appropriate!?” that just made her laugh harder. You pouted before a look of relazation passed over your eyes. You must have recognized their costumes.  
  
“Awww, you two are adorable.”  
  
Alphys blushed and hit behind Undyne’s cape. Just then, Papyrus strolled into the room in full battle armor and his red scarf.  
  
“Whoa, Paps, are you a knight?”  
  
He pounded his chest proudly, “I AM A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD. THEY’RE NOT AROUND ANYMORE BUT I WAS CLOSE TO BEING A MEMBER, RIGHT, UNDYNE?”  
  
Undyne smile. She had told Sans long ago that Paps was too sweet to join, “ABSOLUTELY! You were an awesome training partner, especially in the kitchen.”  
  
You laughed. It sounded like bells ringing.  
  
  
  
More kid showed up over the next hour. They continued to be amusing. One of them looked Papyrus dead in the eye and said his skeleton costume was pretty good but he’d seen better.  
  
You spent most of the time in the kitchen at first, munching on pizza and candy. Didn’t matter how dressed up you were, you still ate like a goofball.  
  
Soon board games came around. Monopoly was chosen. Sans saw Undyne was picking on your little doggy piece and, like the good friend he is, decided to join her.  
  
“You guys are mean,” you pouted.  
  
“You won’t learn anything if we go easy on you, punk,” Undyne had forced you to sell your last railroad. Sans knew you were almost out of the game by the rate he and Undyne were smashing you. On your next roll, you landed on of Sans’s houses.  
  
Sans grins maliciously. He had ya and there was no way you were going to get ou-  
  
You were giving him this puppy dog look; lashes batting big eyes, your bottom lip was trembling slightly, and your hands were brought to your chin.  
  
_…  
  
Dammit._  
  
“Sans, your turn.”  
  
He looked at you with your big brown eyes and just...  
  
“DUDE! You could’ve gotten Mags out.”  
  
“Sorry,” he picked up one of his railroad, “Guess I wasn’t thinking on the same train of thought.”  
  
You giggled and Papyrus glared at him.  
  
Undyne ultimately showed you no mercy when you landed on her property.  
  
“Pay up.”  
  
You tried giving Undyne the same look. It was cute. Oh, not that it wasn’t but he meant it was cute that you thought you’d break Undyne.  
  
“That ain’t gonna work on me, missy.”  
  
You sighed, disappointed and paid. You were out.  
  
You sat back and watched the rest of the game unfold.  Sans ended up winning second to Undyne.  
  
“Know any scary Halloween movies, punk?”  
  
“-that are appropriate,” Sans added. Papyrus did NOT need to see anything like “Nightmare on Elm Street”.  
  
You thought for a minute, “There are these stop motion movies…”  
  
“Any good ones?”  
  
“There’s Coraline. It’s only PG but I will admit it’s a little scary. No gore or sex, just scary imagery.”  
  
“What’s it about?”  
  
“It’s kind of like Alice in Wonderland but with a darker edge. A kid doesn't like her life and she comes across a door that takes her to the Otherworld where everything it’s brighter and better.”  
  
Sans wasn’t really familiar with this “Alice in Wonderland” but he got the premise and turned to Papyrus.  
  
“You okay with it, Pap?”  
  
“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL NOT BE SCARED OF A MOVIE MEANT FOR BABY BONES.”  
  
You smiled and put it on.  
  
You had told everyone that stop motion was made by moving dolls one frame at a time. Whoever the fuck does that is a masochist because the amount of detail it would require based on the movie was insane. The first half was pretty cheery outside of that opening scene. Then the second half hit.  
  
_What da fuck am I watch?! This is a kid’s movie?!?_  
  
You had been honest; there was no swearing or bloody gore. Neither a less, he was worried for Paps but when checking on him, he only seems anxious for the main character. You, on the other hand, started clutching his arm. You weren’t hiding in his shoulder or anything, but you would obviously a little scared. He didn’t mind or blame you. It was no Disney flick.  


  
After the movie Papyrus announced he was tired and was going to bed. Sans got up, saying he needed to read him a bedtime story. He read him Fluffy Bunny until he saw Papyrus snoozing. He gently closed the book and crept out of the room.  
  
“‘Night, bro,” he whispered.  
  
He came into the room to hear Undyne ranting about a movie not being scary enough.  
  
“-Scare me, goddammit! SCARE ME!”  
  
“I heard Alien was good,” Sans walked back into the room, “You guys were talking about horror movies, right?”  
  
Undyne shook her head, “Yeah, but Maggie's afraid of gore.”  
  
“I can close my eyes,” you suggested. You felt you were ruining everyone’s fun, “I do that sometimes when Lizzy wants to watch a gory movie together. Trust me it works.”  
  
Undyne looked at you, skeptical, “You’d tell us if it’s too much for you, right??”  
  
“Of course,”, you smiled reassuringly.  
  
Undyne hesitated but then shrugged, “If you insist, let’s get scared shitless!”  
  
He had wanted to watch Alien for a while. Sans actually liked horror movies if there any good. Sans did take notice that you pressed close to him. He would be fine as long as-  
  
Undyne shoved you and you fell into his lap.  
  
_Oh shit._  
  
His mind was screaming. He did not need that image in his skull of you. Not of you. He did not need to imagine you on your knees sucking off his-  
  
_Oh GOD_ _._  
  
_NO._  
  
_STOP IT._  
  
_NOW._  
  
That was not okay. Sure, he’s a guy but a decent person wouldn’t fantasize about their friend like that, no matter how hot she is. Thankfully, you sat up quickly, blushing like mad and averting your gaze. That's when the bitch fish pushes you into him again and there you stay. Sans tried to ignore the how soft and warm you were.  
  
You were fine for about fifteen minutes. You looked tense the entire first act, even when nothing was happening and you jumped at every jump scare. When it got into the more gruesome scenes like the stomach bursts, you hid yourself in his side.  Sans felt you shaking. 

You were scared. You said you were fine but that was a blatant lie. Sans instinctively wrapped his arm around you. He tried to tell himself the pressure would calm you down and to ignore the feeling of your breasts pressed against him ribs.  
  
_If that was true, why don’t you use the same pressure trick from the episode instead of putting your hands on her like some_ sleazebag?  
  
You looked up at him; brown eyes wide and lips parted. Your eyes were watery, on the brink of tears.  
  
_Poor kid._  
  
For the first time, he felt uncomfortable calling you kid. Yeah, the age difference was hilariously tremendous, but your years averaged you out to be a young adult in human years and likewise for his in monster years. It was unfair to belittle you like that and if he was going to stare, he’d rather not think of you as an ankle biter.  
  
You looked so confused.  
  
_Trust me, so am I._  
  
He used to able to stay in his denial, claiming you were too young for him. But now that he’s looking at you as an adult...he doesn’t know what to think. Sans admitted to caring a lot about you. He loved your quirky personality and just wish you had the confidence to embrace it further. He absolutely hated seeing you in the pain you were in when you got the note from your ex. Even though you were human, you were physically appealing to him. Hell, anyone with two eyes would be. Even in your normal attire, you were always so cute with your wild curls and freckles sprinkled like stars on your cheeks.  
  
If he was to admit he had a crush on you, why was he so scared? He wasn’t a teenager. In the Underground San hadn’t been a playboy or another but he’d been around.  
  
It was probably because you were a human...and he was an incarnation of death himself. You accept him fine, but to find him attractive? Please.  
  
You were still staring at him with your doe eyes and lip trembling.  
  
_God, I’m fucked._  
  
_Might as well enjoy the moment while it lasts._  
  
Sans pulled you closer to him so your head rested against his chest. He couldn’t help but stroke your straightened hair. It was softer than any fur he’d touched.  
  
Sans dare to look at Undyne and, of course, she had the shittiest grin on her face.  
  
Sans could feel your heart beating unnatural fast through Pap’s hoodie. He thought it must still be from the movie and started rubbing your back. Like he predicted, you melted into him. A while later, he could feel your breathing deepened and he heard a light snore. Sans decided to let you sleep in his room this time, even if it was a bit filthy. He would sleep on the couch. He picked you up and carried you away. You were so light in his arms. He led you to his room and gently laid you on the bed. Your arms fell above your head and your head leaned back, revealing your throat. You looked so vulnerable in that state. If Sans had been a lesser man, he would’ve taken advantage of the situation...but no. He could never do that.

 

As he only had a few more chapters left, Sans took the book with him to the coach. He knew the what the ending would be but was still slightly upset it came true. The man who had been charged with a crime he most likely didn't commit was killed anyway.

_People suck._

He heard you whining in your sleep and chuckled.

_but a person could be amazing._

 


	13. Frustration in being in the dark

Sans noticed that the messages from through ex were getting worse. He started sending you pictures of yourself and your friends. You had a panic attack when you first found out. Ever since Sans had admitted to his feelings, he had become overly protective of you. Sans was worried about you so he and Mia took turned walking with you at night. He felt bad for guard dogging you but he felt it was needed to keep you safe.

Unfortunately, it started to take its toll on you. You started to cut off connections with your friends. Whenever he was with you, you barely said a word and when you did talk you were monotone and your eyes were glazed over. You were like that for a couple of weeks. A strange copper scent started to eliminate from you. It smelled like blood but it was different than that week of your menstrual cycle though, even though to ate as much chocolate. Soon your excused changed from saying you were too tired to too busy. You were always found with a book in your hand. Sans assumed you were merely trying to distract yourself because even for midterms you were excessive. He stood to the side for several weeks until he saw how thin you’d gotten at your next tutoring session.

“Maggie, when was the last time you ate?”

You looked at him with baggy eyes, “Uh...What’s today?” 

He took the textbook away from you and tried to cover his fear with a little humor “I know the cafeteria is bad, but it’s not healthy for you to go on strike. How about we take a break and hit up Grillby’s? Come on, you seemed to like it.”

You bit your lower lip, hesitating, “...I really should just stud-”

Sans continued to insist, “Sweetheart, you’ve been studying nonstop. Take a break.”

You let out a chuckle and a small smile before you leaned into him. He stiffened before realizing you were waiting for him to take a shortcut. It had been so long since you touched him so he held you closer, enjoying the moment. A minute later, you were falling limply in his arms from nausea. His soul had a little pitter patter going on. There weren’t that many monsters there today, just some of the former royal guards like Dogamy and Dogaressa, who were singing, and old Gerson. Gribbles nodded at the two of you. Grillby nodded at the two of you and threw two burgers on the grill. 

You sat there looking bored and tapped your glass to the music. You closed your eyes for a moment. You looked so tired.

“So,” Sans started, “Fall break is coming up. Guessing you’re going home.”

“No,” you said flatly, “Not welcomed.”

“What about Lizzy? It’s been awhile since she’s seen you.”

You took a sip out of your drink and looked away...like you always did before you lied.

“She’s involved in homecoming that week so she’ll be too busy.”

Sans frowned,“Not that I am a wiz of human high schools but didn’t homecoming take place a month ago.”

You stayed silent before plastering a half smile, “Guess their school has it late.”

Sans continued to frown, “Or are you avoiding her?”

You grimaced and looked away again. Grillby placed a plate with your burger in front of you. Usually, you’d devour it but today you were just playing with the edge of lettuce sticking out.

“Sweetheart,  you’ve been avoiding everyone lately. I know it’s a busy time in the semester but most of us haven’t seen you since Halloween. Undyne keeps whining about losing her workout buddy and Papyrus misses you greatly. Are you mad at us?”

You hand trailed down to your thighs which you started to pinch, “No! I’m just...going through some stuff at home.”

_ Another lie. Why? Why can’t she just talk to me? _

Sans gently grabbed your hand that was attacking your thigh. He flipped it over and started tracing the lines in your palm. He could tell the coppery smell was coming from your arm. Your eyes widened in panic and you jerked your hand away.

_ What are you hiding? _

He frowned, “Maggie..”

You folded your arms and hunched over, remaining silent. He too had forgotten his food in his concern. This was the first time he’d really talk to you in weeks and he wasn’t got to let his chance slip away.

“You know I’d usually leave you alone and let you solve this problem on your own but you're not taking care of yourself. Do you realize how much weight you lose?”

You shrugged half heartedly, “I needed to lose some anyway.”

“Not like this,” he whispered to you. Did you not realize this was serious?

“Is it because of your ex?” he asked his voice cracking. He felt he had failed to protect you as the messages just got worse, “ Maggie, if I knew where this asshole was I would beat the shit out of him just to see you smile again. If I could just locate him and take all your worries away. If only I could-”

“Sans, it’s not that,” you blurted and grabbed his hand. Your small palms were clammy, “I-I’m just...I get…”

Your concentration was broken at the sound of a drunk Doggo falling and breaking a chair. He laughed as Dogamy helped his up and the whole party left out the door. Gerson soon followed suit giving Gribbly a nod as he left. You hand started to shake. Sans felt bad for pressuring you but he was going to get some answers so he’d know who to help.

Your lip started to quiver, “I’m just...episodes...stuff like...you know?”

_ Episodes? Is this a mental illness thing? _

“Uh, what?”

You bit your lip and looked at Grillby, probably for help. Your eye suddenly became alert. You got up and went to the karaoke machine and scrolled over song names.

_ What were you up to? _

You scrunch your eyes tight and looked at the floor. Your voice came out as a whisper at first.

“...I can hold my breath,” you breathed in and your voice came out stronger, “I can bite my tongue. I can stay awake for days if that’s what you want. Be your number one.”

Sans didn’t understand what was happening but stay quiet anyway.

“I can fake a smile. I can force a laugh. I can dance and play the part. If that’s what you ask. Give you all I am.”

You were scratching your wrist., “I can do it. I can do it...I can do it….”

You looked up with watery eyes and clenched fists, “But I’m only human...and I bleed when I fall down. I’m only human...and I crash and I break down. Your words in my head, knives in my heart. You build me up and then I fall apart...'Cause I’m only human, yeah…”

Sans felt conflicted. As a music lover, he had wanted to hear you sing for the longest time. Now that he was finally hearing it, it crushed his soul that you felt it was the only way to express just how feeble you felt.  You sang like a beautiful canary with a broken wing, crying for help.

Sans was still confused. Sure, monsters could feel emotions but with a body made of magic, there was no such thing as chemical imbalances. Mental illness was a foreign topic. Still…

_ Did you honestly think of yourself less because of something you can’t control? _

“I’m only human...I’m only human...Just a little human!” your high soprano rang with desperation at the last note. Your voice trembled with defeat, “I-I can take so much...until I’ve had enough.’Cause i’m only human…”

Sans saw your legs shake and caught you before you hit the ground. He could feel all the tension you’d been holding explode as you balled yours eyes out, tears staining his hoodie. 

“I-I just f-feel so cold and empty,” you sounded so broken, “I-I didn’t m-mean to h-hurt anyone.”

Even when you were hurting, your first concern was for everyone else. For once, Sans wished you could be selfish. 

“I know. Shhh,” Sans cradled you, “It'll be okay. What’s that human saying...ah: This too shall pass.”

“B-But what i-if-”

“It will,” he resurred, combing your soft curls with his fingers.

You relaxed in his arms. He couldn’t tell if it was because you felt tired or safe. By stars, he wished it was the ladder. 

 


	14. *Author's notice*

Hey guys, I thought I was better but my condition has steadily become worse again. Honestly, I think it's just a very bad cold but I'm too groggy to focus. It'll be a bit before I write the next chapter of Made of Stone. Don't worry, I still have every intention to continue this perspective but I need to dedicate my focus to the main story for now. Maybe I'll get the chapter in next week. Sorry guys. I'll let you know on Friday if I'll have something for "Someday".

Thank you,

KMO27

(Side note: I just watched Infinity War today and the ending depressed the shit out of me. I can't get over)


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